Experiencing brugde is like finding a “needle in a haystack”. This is how the Marine Research Institute describes the job of learning more about Norway’s largest shark, the brugde. – It is a very large fish, and it is strange that it is not observed more often, says shark researcher Claudia Junge. Last year it was seen 60 times in Norway. There are considerably fewer observations than the previous year, when the Institute of Marine Research received 149 inquiries. – This is a cartilaginous fish species we know extremely little about. We would like to know a lot more, says Junge. Brugde is Norway’s largest shark. Scientists know little about it. In 2021, there were 149 observations of brugde in Norway. Some were filmed. Found 1.7 meter long fetus Brugde, or “basking shark”, is not dangerous for people. It often swims around with its mouth open to filter plankton through its gape, and it feeds on zooplankton. The shark is on the red list, and is the world’s second largest fish after the whale shark. According to the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, barges can be up to eleven meters long. In most waters it is protected. – There is little knowledge about used around the world, says Junge. Shark researcher at the Institute of Marine Research, Claudia Junge, says brugde is a fish we need much more knowledge about in Norway. Photo: Privat Among other things, we know little about the fish’s reproduction. But a few years ago, an adult wrasse entangled itself in a net in Great Britain. This animal provided valuable insight. – It is rare to get whole individuals in nets. It turned out that this was a female fish that had a fetus almost ready for birth in its stomach. Just the fetus itself was 1.7 meters long, says Junge. Can swim with British sharks In 2019, the Institute of Marine Research started a separate mapping project for seafarers together with researchers in Great Britain. The marine scientists want to find out more about, among other things, the shark’s migration pattern. Most of the breweries in Norway are seen from Trøndelag and northwards. – Important areas are Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Hitra and Frøya in Trøndelag and outside Smøla in Møre and Romsdal, says Junge. The Institute of Marine Research receives reports of sea urchins along the Norwegian coast, and is very interested in tips as soon as the animals are seen. Photo: Marte Valvåg / Dugnad for the sea She also tells about a number of observations around oil platforms off central Norway. Brugde is more common in Great Britain than in this country. – The Isle of Man is a typical “hot spot”, says Junge. The researchers want to find out if the brugde in Norway are in the same population as those in Great Britain. – If someone comes across brugde, we are very interested in tissue samples so that we can carry out genetic mapping. Among other things, we want to find out if there is a large, common population in the North-East Atlantic, says Junge. Last year it was seen in the Oslo Fjord and in Lofoten – now the huge shark is coming back Used as lamp oil One of the reasons why brugde is threatened with extinction is that it has been used as a source of fat and oil. The liver of the shark in particular is very fatty. According to Wikipedia, it alone can make up 25 percent of the total weight of the animal. Globally, there has been overfishing. – The oil in the liver was previously used as lamp oil, among other things, says Junge. Dag Håvard Askim is fishing in the Trondheimsfjord. He is aware that there were farms in the area in the past. – I remember well that my grandmother told me that there were trout in the fjord here – and also mackerel sturgeon, says Askim. She was from Frengen in Indre Fosen and the brugden moved into Stjørnfjorden, among other places. Dag Håvard Askim is a part-time fisherman and fishes a lot in Stjørnfjorden in Trondheimsfjorden. He hasn’t seen any, and thinks it’s a shame that a fish that used to be more common is about to disappear. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news – I haven’t seen brugde myself, but many stories have been told by fishermen in the past about seeing it, and about catching brugde, says Askim. – What do you think about it being endangered? – I think that’s a shame. Everything that is endangered is broken. There is a reason for that, and I hope the researchers find out. This is about how we manage nature, says Askim. He points out that the brugden are a species where there are few and large animals. Then each individual counts a lot. Askim believes it is important not to change anything that has major consequences for the farms. For example, access to zooplankton. Doesn’t swim up and down The Institute of Marine Research thinks it is difficult to know why there were far fewer observations of bream last year than the year before. Perhaps it has to do with corona, and that people had more Norwegian holidays in nature in 2021. – It is mostly in the summer, often in July, that we get the most observations. It can also be about the same animal being observed several times, says Junge. Most of the observations this year were made in Lofoten. Observations of sea bream are reported to the Institute of Marine Research’s data portal “service for the sea”. While porpoises and killer whales move up and down on the surface of the water, the brugda is more at rest and glides forward. Brugda is most obvious when the water is calm and clear. Typical of the brugda is that both the back and tail fin are visible in the water surface. The animal has gliding movements. Photo: MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE – Marine mammals will move up and down to breathe. The shark is more continuous in its movements. You can often see both the dorsal fin and tail fin sticking up, says Junge. – Let the brugda free Brugde can occasionally get lost in nets. – The animal is large and it will roll a lot of times in the net and get stuck firmly. Then they have little chance of survival, says Junge. She still has a clear call if that were to happen. – If the brugda is alive, please set it free. And if you spot an animal you think might be a brugde, the Institute of Marine Research wants all the pictures and video they can get. – It doesn’t have to be National Geographic quality. Just take a picture. It will be able to provide valuable information, says Junge. A separate brand team is out in the period 12 June–16. July. They would like to be called on 55238560 if anyone sees the animal. A kayaker was mildly shocked when the world’s second largest shark came close to his vessel at Skrova in Lofoten. Fortunately, the shark is harmless, and the man had a nice moment with the brugden.
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Requesting more information about Norway’s largest shark, brugde – news Trøndelag
