HADERA, Israel (AP) — A giant power plant with billowing smoke may not look like the most natural habitat for sea life.
But the hot water gushing from an industrial plant in Israel's northern city of Hadera is drawing schools of sharks that are increasingly endangered by overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea.
The hotspot is now also drawing tourists.
Researcher Aviad Scheinin says the hundreds of sharks flocking exclusively to the Hadera power plant every winter qualifies as "a legitimate and rare phenomenon."
The Mediterranean's shifting climate has created a bizarre boon for sharks, which thrive in warm water. Expert say it stimulates shark metabolisms, improves their breathing cycles and facilitates their pregnancies.
With tourists in mind, the municipality, Israel's Nature and Parks Authority and other groups, are partnering to build an observation center.
