World's slowest sharks could be culled as trawlers compete for cod and halibut

Slow-moving Greenland sharks could face culling in Greenland as fishers and conservationists clash over sharks getting entangled in fishing gear and being linked to poaching. The controversy centers on Avannaata municipality, where a plan earlier proposed killing 1,000 sharks and paying 300 Danish krone (about £34) per shark heart. Greenland’s government later dropped the proposal after questioning its legality, but conservation groups fear it could return. Around Ilulissat, fishers say sharks cut lines and damage longlines; one halibut fisher, Henrik Jensen, said he lost thousands of hooks and described sharks as bullying. While sharks are vulnerable—after decades of liver-oil harvesting ended in the 1960s—researchers warn culling may not solve the structural problems driving disputes, including growing offshore pressure and competition.