Great whites now on endangered list

THE great white shark has been declared an endangered species in California after experts said there were just 339 left on the Pacific coast, writes Mike Parker in Los Angeles.

A great white shark paroles the ocean A great white shark paroles the ocean

The predator, immortalised in the film Jaws, is expected to be given the same status across the US after decades of being snagged and killed in fishing nets.

In the Golden State, the world’s fiercest marine predator joins species such as California condors and sea otters on the protected list.

Emily Jeffers, a lawyer for San Francisco’s centre for biological diversity, a pressure group that backed last week’s addition of the species to the state endangered list, said: “There is a lot of evidence that white shark population levels worldwide are extremely low.”

shark, great white, jawsGreat White Sharks were brought to media attention by the film Jaws

“They are at the very pinnacle of the food chain"

Emily Jeffers

In Californian waters, great whites can grow up to 21ft long and weigh almost 30 stone.

Ms Jeffers added: “They are really barometers of our ocean’s ecosystem. If they are not doing well, we need to figure out why.

“They are at the very pinnacle of the food chain. If we want a healthy ocean, we need to have healthy sharks.”