Rescue of baby sharks from dead mothers' bellies / 定置網內母虎鯊死亡 搶救肚內小虎鯊

Two female tiger sharks were found off the coast of Taitung County, with almost 80 pups in their wombs. The Eastern Marine Biology Research Center worked with local fishermen to rescue the baby sharks. This 200 kilogram female shark was caught by fishermen off shore of Chang Kang, Taitung County on the 14th. The dead shark's belly still contained unborn pups. Fishermen scrambled to pull out over 40 pups from the mother shark's belly and put them in the sea water, all the while shaking the baby sharks to preserve their vitality. ==Fisherman== (Why are you doing that?) So that it can get oxygen. A 500 kilogram mother shark was also caught by the stationary fishnet off the Sanxiantai shore on June 13th. Researchers from the Eastern Marine Biology Research Center worked with fishermen and rescued over 40 pups. These pups are marked and relocated to a larger tank until their condition stabilizes. They will be released back into the ocean and their growth will be tracked. ==WU RUEI HSIEN, Researcher, Eastern Marine Biology Research Center== It's really rare to catch live, healthy pups. We did not know where pups would go after they are born, or how deep they live in the ocean. This is a great opportunity for research. That's why we mark them before releasing them. Tiger sharks have been known to attack humans and infest oceans worldwide. They are often caught by fishermen and have thus been listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. However, they are not a protected species in Taiwan. These two pregnant sharks were most likely caught in the fishnet while chasing prey. TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU 這隻有2百多公斤重的母「虎鯊」，14號上午被台東縣成功鎮漁民在靠近長濱海域的定置漁網捕獲，已經死亡，但是肚子大大的，裡面有卵胎生的小虎鯊。 漁民很快的把母鯊肚子裡40多隻的小虎鯊拉出，趕快放進海水裡，還要不時的抖動，讓牠們保存活力。 ==漁民== （為什麼要這樣用） 讓牠吸到氧氣 其實13號下午，漁民也在三仙台海域定置漁網，捕獲一尾將近5百公斤的母「虎鯊」。東部海洋生物研究中心研究人員和漁民，也從母鯊肚子裡成功搶救40隻小虎鯊，放在小型養殖池裡，活動力十足。研究人員陸續在小虎鯊身上做標示，並移到大的養池等牠們成長狀況穩定，要再放回大海，追蹤小虎鯊成長生態。 ==東部海洋生物研究中心助理研究員 吳瑞賢== 難得有就是活體 然後又很健康 這樣的小鯊 我們也不知道這些母鯊 以往生下小魚之後 小魚會到哪裡去 或在什麼深度 所以有這麼好的一個機會 我們當然是盡量的用標放 虎鯊又被稱為鼬鯊，是海中會咬人的三大鯊魚之一，分布在全球各大海洋，由於常被漁民捕獲，「國際自然保育聯盟」已經將虎鯊列為受到威脅的物種之一，但國內還沒有列入保育。研究人員說，母虎鯊懷孕期間為半年左右，這兩隻母虎鯊，可能是追逐食物才會闖進定置漁網裡被漁民捕獲。 記者 章明哲 台東報導