No swimming: Sharks spotted near Hadera power plant

The sharks are spotted in the Hadera area every year between November and April.

 Sharks off the coast of Hadera, October 2022 (photo credit: Guy Lavian/Nature and Parks Authority)
Sharks off the coast of Hadera, October 2022
(photo credit: Guy Lavian/Nature and Parks Authority)

Sharks were spotted near the power plant in Hadera, with the Nature and Parks Authority warning Israelis against diving in the area on Monday.

The sharks are spotted in the area every year between November and April.

The strong currents and eddies near the power plant, as well as the fishing equipment used in the area, are also dangerous for divers, the Nature and Parks Authority warned.

Sharks are in danger of extinction and are protected by Israeli law. It is illegal to harm, bother or feed sharks and anyone caught doing so risks prosecution.

Feeding sharks disrupts their natural way of life and may create a connection for them between humans and food.

Sharks off the coast of Hadera (Credit: Guy Lavian/Nature and Parks Authority)

There are several dozen sharks in the school swimming near Hadera. The sharks belong to the Dusky shark and Sandbar shark species. 

The Dusky sharks are up to four meters long and weigh about 350 kilograms. The Sandbar sharks are smaller, about 2.5 meters long and weighing in at about 100 kilograms.

"Sharks in the Mediterranean Sea suffer from a large depletion in the size of their populations due to overfishing and unintended damage from fishing," explained Yigael Ben Ari, head of the Marine Unit in the Nature and Park Authority. "Sometimes sharks that are caught unintentionally are thrown back into the sea dying or dead. In Israel, sharks are a protected species and are very important in maintaining marine ecosystems. Since they are predators, they dilute the number of weak and slow animals in the system, thereby strengthening other species and the entire marine environment."