From Extermination to Conservation: Historical Records of Shark Presence during the Early and Development Phase of the Greek Fishery

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A thorough search of traditional and digital libraries was conducted for retrieving issues on the interaction of the Greek fisheries with shark species. A significant contribution was made through newspaper collections covering both the Athenian and provincial press including Crete Island for a century (1883–1983). Our historical search showed that large species were common in the Greek Seas, a phenomenon not suspected from datasets of modern fishery surveys. The detection of sharks due to local media gradually increased up to 1969, with most records being more frequent for the Aegean Sea, whereas the number of sharks being sighted declined leading up to the middle of 1980s. The crucial point is that a large number of these observations were related to shark attacks on people, whereas this is not currently evident. The historical records presented here show us that the knowledge of the past can motivate us to identify strategies and policies that can be more acceptable for communities and thus succeed for conservation. ABSTRACT: The lack of historical data on shark presence, distribution, and status in the Eastern Mediterranean undermines efforts to manage and protect their populations. An exhaustive review of anecdotal references related to shark presence during the early and development phase of Greek fisheries (1883–1983) was conducted. In the early-20th century (1912), the first sighting of the presence of a dead shark was reported in the Ionian Sea. Later on, the presence of sharks gradually increased up to 1969, with most records being more frequent for the Aegean Sea, whereas the number of sharks being sighted declined leading up to the middle of 1980s. The increase in shark attacks during the mid-20th century led to a calling for culling of sharks in co-operation with the competent authorities promoting the permission to hunt sharks with firearms and offering rewards for killed individuals. A high number of these observations potentially resulted from shark attacks on people, whereas this is not currently evident. This is an indicator of the lower abundance of sharks in modern times and subsequently an alteration in the way that our current modern society is approaching the protection of such vulnerable species.