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Published online 12 February 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040209-9

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Sharks suffer population crash

Species that once filled the oceans is on the verge of extinction.

Oceanic whitetip sharks, once the most common shark in the world, are almost completely extinct, according to a new census in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past 50 years, their numbers have crashed by more than 99% in the Gulf.

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