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ISRA FACTSHEETS

EUROPEAN ATLANTIC

ISRA FACTSHEETS

EUROPEAN ATLANTIC

El Jablito ISRA

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El Jablito ISRA

El Jablito

Summary

El Jablito is located on the eastern coast of Fuerteventura Island in the Canary Islands, Spain. This coastal area is characterised by sublittoral sandbanks and rocky reefs. The area overlaps with one Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area. Within this area there are: threatened species and reproductive areas (Angelshark Squatina squatina).

El Jablito

El Jablito

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

El Jablito is located on the eastern coast of Fuerteventura Island in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago in the northeast Atlantic, consisting of eight main islands and five islets, situated ~100 km from the northwest African coastline. The area is characterised by a narrow shelf where depth drops quickly, sublittoral sandbanks, and rocky reefs.

The area is strongly influenced by the Eastern Boundary Upwelling System, the Canary Current, and Calima events (Sahara Desert dust; Vázquez et al. 2024). The Azores High Pressure System and trade winds drive complex patterns of seasonal upwelling, temperature fluctuation, and ocean stratification, leading to high productivity and nutrient richness along the West African continental shelf, which in turn influences environmental and biological conditions across the Canary Islands. The islands and waters to the furthest northeast of the Canary Islands have an oceanic desert climate, characterised by low rainfall and northerly prevailing winds (Santana-Cordero 2016).

The area overlaps with the Oceanic Islands and Seamounts of the Canary Region Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA; CBD 2025).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 150 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Critically Endangered Angelshark (Morey et al. 2019).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C1 – REPRODUCTIVE AREAS

El Jablito is an important reproductive area for one shark species.

Small aggregations (3–5 individuals) encompassing mature and neonate/young-of-the-year (YOY) Angelsharks have been regularly recorded within the area. This location has also been recognised as a potential nursery area for Angelsharks (Jiménez-Alvarado et al. 2020). Since 2015, the Angel Shark Project has conducted a combination of underwater visual census (UVC), tagging, and citizen science data collection in the Canary Islands. Visual transects and tagging surveys were conducted across the Canary Islands in high suitability areas (Meyers et al. 2017), potential nursery areas (Jiménez-Alvarado et al. 2020), and locations where Angelsharks are regularly observed. Within this area, two survey campaigns were conducted in 2016 and 2024 with each campaign consisting of one night survey.

In June 2016, 10 individuals <40 cm total length (TL) were recorded in the area during UVCs (Angel Shark Project unpubl. data 2025). These individuals were classified as neonate/YOY as their size is close to their reported size-at-birth (26–30 cm TL; Ebert et al. 2021). Neonate Angelsharks (n = 11) were also recorded by local dive centres between 2022–2024 (Angel Shark Project unpubl. data 2025). These individuals were recorded between May–October. Out of the 15 areas monitored in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura Islands for neonate/YOY presence, this area falls within the eight potential nursery areas identified for the species and ranks as the third highest number of neonate/YOY Angelsharks recorded (Jiménez-Alvarado et al 2020). Further, pregnant females (n = 3; based on their distended abdomen) were recorded in 2019 and 2021, and mating events (n = 7) were also recorded in 2019 and 2020 by divers (Angel Shark Project unpubl. data 2025).

El Jablito

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