A Brazilian bay’s surprise shark nursery sparks conservation project

ANGRA DOS REIS, Brazil (AP) — A fishing community in Brazil’s southeastern Ilha Grande bay once saw the blacktip sharks navigating the sparkling, emerald green water as potential food.

That perception has shifted, at least in part thanks to scientists who discovered that a nearby cove is frequented by dozens of pregnant blacktip sharks, prompting efforts to protect the area.

Recent studies describe Brazil as the largest consumer of shark meat. Yet sharks are among the most threatened group of vertebrates on Earth, with more than one-third of species at risk of extinction due to overfishing, habitat degradation and climate change, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Brazil’s coastline harbors a large diversity of shark species and includes critical habitats for many threatened populations, making their protection an important part of global ocean conservation.

Key to those efforts is the identification of nurseries such as the one in Piraquara de Fora cove, according to experts who are part of the Brazilian Institute for Nature Conservation's Sharks of Ilha Grande Bay project.

“We used to fish and eat them,” said Marlene Fernanda do Nascimento Martins, a 35-year-old community leader. Conservationists “explained that we shouldn’t do that anymore because of the animals themselves and the need to protect them.”

Sharks reproduce slowly, with fewer offspring than many bony fishes, which increases their vulnerability.

“Breeding areas are fundamental to ensuring the species survives throughout this Atlantic ecoregion,” said Leonardo Mitrano Neves, who heads the scientific branch of the project.

On a recent weekday, Mitrano Neves and his team lowered monitoring equipment loaded with cameras into different parts of the cove, leaving them submerged for an hour alongside bait to attract the sharks.

That footage and drone images will later be analyzed in a laboratory, producing data that will be used to advocate for greater conservation efforts.

While blacktip sharks are most common in the region, the project also focuses on sand tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks.

The scheme also aims to start environmental education activities in schools so that sharks will come to be seen as part of the region’s natural heritage.

Communication materials highlight that the sharks do not represent a threat to humans and that there are no known shark incidents in the region.

Brazil prohibits targeted shark fishing, but nonprotected sharks may still be landed when caught incidentally as bycatch, whereas threatened species are protected from capture and commercialization and must be released if caught.

Identification can be imprecise, with shark meat often sold under the generic term “cação.”

José Truda Palazzo, the coordinator of the project in Ilha Grande bay, said their work to discourage local communities from eating shark meat is starting to have an impact.

During meetings with nearby populations, representatives of the project talked about the importance of the sharks for the ocean’s ecosystem and the health risks associated with eating shark meat, he said.

Research indicates that, as apex predators, sharks accumulate high levels of heavy metals — including arsenic, mercury and lead — in their blood and tissues. A 2024 study also found that some Brazilian sharpnose sharks tested positive for cocaine.

“We hope that more and more people come to understand that cação is shark, and shark meat is toxic, in addition to the fact that sharks are endangered animals,” said Palazzo.

As long as the sky and water are clear, local residents sometimes spot the sharks from the low-level, forest-covered mountains, above the sand-colored rocks that meet the ocean.

In time, observation of the sharks — on land, from boats and even underwater — could develop into an additional source of income thanks to ecotourism, Palazzo said.

Nascimento Martins fishes and sells ice on the beach to supplement her monthly income, which supports her and her three children. She said ecotourism would offer a big assist to the area.

“We’re a remote community with very limited resources. So anything that comes along that can help us preserve our village is a good thing,” she said.

Reinaldo Dias da Rocha, who is from the same community, said his father had already encouraged him not to hunt sharks, but the project had reinforced the importance of preserving the animals.

“We pass the information on to our nephews, to tourists who come to discover this place and enjoy our beautiful beaches, and further labor the point that what we call cação isn't to be eaten.”

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Researchers Beatriz da Costa e Castro, left, and Thaissa Albuquerque Ribeiro Augusto deploy a Baited Remote Underwater Video System as part of a shark project in Ilha Grande bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A researcher displays a tablet with a mapping system used to identify research sites for a shark project in Ilha Grande Bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Fisherman Reinaldo Dias da Rocha boards a boat used by a shark protection project at Ilha Grande Bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

cientific coordinator Leonardo Mitrano Neves reviews footage recorded by a Baited Remote Underwater Video System during monitoring for a shark project in Ilha Grande Bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Scientific coordinator Leonardo Mitrano Neves, left, and field and logistics coordinator Daniel Shimada Brotto retrieve a Baited Remote Underwater Video System during monitoring as part of a shark project in Ilha Grande Bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

LONDON (AP) — England’s new test cricket coach Stephen Fleming has set his sights on taking the team back to number one in the world for the first time in more than a decade.

The former New Zealand captain was appointed in July but has just taken the reins after sitting out the 3-0 victory over Pakistan due to family commitments.

Fleming immediately made his ultimate aim clear: to lift the side from fifth in the ICC test rankings back to the summit for the first time since 2012 and put right the team's dreadful record in the World Test Championship.

“I would love to be in charge of the number one test team in the world. That would be my aspiration,” he said. “There have been some really good moments (for this side) but I think there’s more to give.

“One of the dark arts of coaching is timing and my honest appraisal is that it’s a great time to be the head coach. It’s one of the most prestigious jobs in cricket. I was very honoured to be asked. The opportunity to take up this role was one you don’t turn down.”

England have never come close to reaching the WTC final in the four editions since it was launched — and lie sixth in the current table — but Fleming is keen to oversee a change of emphasis when it comes to that competition.

“England could do much better than that,” Fleming said. “If that’s one of the pinnacle trophies in world cricket, why would we not be trying to get it along with every other marquee event that comes our way?

“It’s aspirational and that’s why I’m here. That opportunity is real, but there’s a huge amount of work to do.”

That work does not entail convincing former captain Ben Stokes to reverse his dramatic decision to retire from international cricket and play a part in next year’s Ashes.

Stokes has continued playing for Durham and has also signed up for a stint with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. And speculation that he might make a grand return for one last crack at Australia next summer refuses to go away.

“I went up to Durham and spoke to Ben, which was good. He’s really happy and seemed to be really at peace with his decision,” Fleming said.

“My view is when a player decides to retire, it’s a big decision and I have the utmost respect for that decision, so that’s where it sits.”

Fleming has spent his first week in the country checking in with his captain Joe Root, director of cricket Rob Key and ground-hopping with visits to five county championship matches in three days.

On Saturday, he was at Emirates Old Trafford to link up with his predecessor Brendon McCullum, who remains in charge of the one-day and Twenty20 teams.

Fleming, a title winner with Nottinghamshire in 2005 and a former player for both Middlesex and Yorkshire, began rebuilding his connection with a domestic game that often felt alienated under McCullum and Stokes.

“It’s been a tour of love,” he said. “I have been kissing county coaches’ heads, meeting new players, reintroducing myself to players I played with who are now in positions of authority at counties.

“I have a deep respect for the county game and what it can offer. It is a key part of English cricket so to reconnect, do some miles on the M1 and immerse myself in that over the last three days has been really good.”

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

FILE - Former New Zealand cricketer and Chennai Super Kings team coach Stephen Fleming speaks during a press conference on the first day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction in Bangalore, India, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi, file)