Did you know that the world’s second largest fish – a giant shark – swims around the entire Norwegian coast?
Brugda, as it is called, was reported observed a few times in Norway last year – and the Institute of Marine Research now wants everyone who discovers the shark in Norwegian waters to report it.
– There is so much you do not know about this shark. It is very mysterious and we need more information. For example, it has only been discovered along the Norwegian coast in the summer. Does that mean that it is not here during the winter, that it then goes somewhere else? This is just one of many examples we want answers to, says marine scientist Claudia Junge to Dagbladet.
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Giant
Exactly how big the bride can actually be, there are also no reliable figures. Institute of Marine Research estimates that it can be at least 13 meters long.
Brugda is the largest fish that can occur in Norwegian waters, and the world’s second largest fish after the whale shark, according to Large Norwegian encyclopedia, who also writes that maximum weight is more uncertain, and in the literature it varies between 4 and 20 tons. Institute of Marine Research writes that it can be up to 19 tons, but that this is very uncertain.
– I find it very fascinating. This is a cartilaginous fish, almost the size of a whale, but is a shark, says Junge at the institute.
HAI: Brugda is not a predatory fish like most sharks, but feeds on small crustaceans (bait) like the great baleen whales. Photo: Frogfish / REX / NTB
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– Mysterious
She says that research shows that the bride can stay both in the sea surface and further down in the depths. In addition, there are some that vary between this. What is the reason why this varies from used to used is not known.
– This is also something we want to find out more about, she says.
– Since it is so gigantic, we really should know a lot more about it, and see it more often, but we do not. It’s a bit like finding the needle in the “shark stack”. For example, we have little data on gender distribution, mating and births. We simply do not know enough about it, she says.
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Want more knowledge
That is why she is now issuing a clear appeal to the Norwegian people.
– The researchers want more knowledge about where it wanders, and therefore we believe it is important that people report if they see used.
– Then we can map where it migrates, and where it is located in different periods. This in turn increases the chance that we may be able to find brides we can notice, so that we can follow them and learn more about the bride, says Junge.
Messages about used observations can be reported through Volunteer work for the Sea.
In 2019, there were reports of 43 bridal sightings, and of the sightings that were reported last year, one of the reports went all the way back to 1961, when fishermen got a bridle in the net, Junge says.
GIANT: The Marine Research Center estimates that the shark can be at least 13 meters long. Photo: Splashdown / Matthew Watkinson / REX / NTB
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Harmless
– Is this shark dangerous?
– No, it’s not. It feeds on zooplankton, and it is often in connection with this that it is observed at sea level. If you are out in a motorboat and discover a used one, it is recommended to switch off the engine so that you do not damage it. Then there is also a chance that it gets closer to the boat to check it up and swims around it a bit, says Junge.
