Habitat use, residency, and seasonal distribution of female leopard sharks Triakis semifasciata in Elkhorn Slough, California

Carlisle, Aaron B.; Starr, Richard M.

doi:10.3354/meps07907

Cited by 80 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…These findings are consistent with previous studies that have documented strong relationships between seasonal decreases in water temperature below threshold levels (e.g. Castro 1993, Hopkins & Cech 2003, Carlisle & Starr 2009) and photoperiod (e.g. Grubbs et al 2007) and the emigration of sharks out of nursery areas.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

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Seasonal residency, habitat use, and site fidelity of juvenile sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus in a Massachusetts estuary

Kneebone¹,

Chisholm²,

Skomal³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The sand tiger shark Carcharias taurus is a large coastal species that has endured marked declines in its western North Atlantic population over the past 30 yr. In the face of these declines, identification of nursery areas for this species is of particular importance to ensure the implementation of protective measures that will maximize survival of young individuals to maturity. Passive acoustic telemetry was used to assess the emergence of Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury (PKD) Bay, Massachusetts, USA, as a seasonal nursery for juvenile sand tigers that migrate north from southern parturition grounds. Seasonal residency, habitat use, and site fidelity of 73 acoustically tagged juvenile sand tigers (78 to 108 cm fork length) were monitored within PKD Bay during 4 seasonal periods from 2008 to 2011. Eight individuals were tracked in multiple years, with 2 individuals returning to PKD Bay in 3 consecutive years. Sand tigers remained in PKD Bay for periods of 1 to 124 d and displayed a high degree of site fidelity to 2 core habitats during each year of the study. Weekly activity space estimates were relatively constant throughout each yearly monitoring period, with a general increase prior to emigration of sharks from the embayment. Emigration of sharks from PKD Bay was significantly related to both day length and water temperature. Collectively, these results suggest that PKD Bay constitutes a seasonal nursery area for juvenile sand tigers and warrants the extension of juvenile sand tiger essential fish habitat north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Heupel & Simpfendorfer 2008, Ubeda et al 2009), temperature (e.g. Carlisle & Starr 2009, Espi noza et al 2011, and prey abundance (e.g. , Torres et al 2006) influence habitat use and likely affect juvenile sand tiger habitat choice in PKD Bay to some degree.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal residency, habitat use, and site fidelity of juvenile sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus in a Massachusetts estuary

Kneebone¹,

Chisholm²,

Skomal³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Tide had the greatest effect on movement studies of smoothhound (Campos et al 2009) and female leopard sharks (Carlisle & Starr 2009). The movement of whale sharks is also influenced by geostrophic currents (Rowat & Gore 2007), in contrast to scalloped hammerhead sharks whose swimming is unaffected by current direction (Klimley & Nelson 1984).…”

Section: Habitat Specificitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sims et al 2001, 2005b, Hueter et al 2004, Carlson et al 2008, Domeier & Nasby-Lucas 2008, Carlisle & Starr 2009), or the longterm use of an area for reproduction (Sundström et al 2001, Duncan & Holland 2006 or feeding (Domeier & Nasby-Lucas 2008). The term 'natal philopatry' (Hueter et al 2004) has also been used synonymously with 'natal site-fidelity' (e.g.…”

Section: Site Fidelitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complexities of coastal shark movements and their implications for management

Speed

Field²,

Meekan

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

260

239

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Global declines of shark populations are of concern because of their largely assumed role as moderators of ecosystem function. Without long-term data on movement patterns for many species, it is impossible to infer relative extinction risk, which varies as a function of range, dispersal and habitat specificity and use. The past 50 yr of research on coastal sharks has revealed common movement patterns among species. In the horizontal plane, measured home range size generally increases with body size. We demonstrate meta-analytically the effects of increasing body size and monitoring time on home range size. Changes in the extent of horizontal movement might arise from ontogeny, predator avoidance or environmental tolerances. In the vertical plane, movement patterns include oscillatory vertical displacement, surface swimming, diel vertical migration and swimming at depth. These vertical movements are often attributed to foraging or navigation, but have been quantified less than horizontal patterns. Habitat specificity is often correlated with environmental conditions such as depth, salinity, substratum, and in some cases, prey availability. Site fidelity is common in species that use nursery areas. However, fidelity to mating, pupping, feeding and natal sites has only been observed in a few species. To date, few studies have examined habitat partitioning, although some general patterns have emerged: habitats appear to be subdivided by benthos type, prey availability and depth. The conservation of coastal sharks can be facilitated in some cases by the use of marine protected areas, especially for coastal resident species using specific nursery, reproduction or feeding areas. Partial protected-area closures might be effective during aggregation or migration periods to protect older size classes, but these must be applied with other management strategies such as reduced fishing and size or bag limits to protect individuals throughout different life history phases. More long-term research on habitat use, migration patterns and habitat partitioning is essential for developing successful management initiatives for coastal shark populations.

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Discovery of a multispecies shark aggregation and parturition area in the Ba Estuary, Fiji Islands

Vierus

Gehrig

Brunnschweiler

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Population declines in shark species have been reported on local and global scales, with overfishing, habitat destruction and climate change posing severe threats. The lack of species‐specific baseline data on ecology and distribution of many sharks, however, makes conservation measures challenging. Here, we present a fisheries‐independent shark survey from the Fiji Islands, where scientific knowledge on locally occurring elasmobranchs is largely still lacking despite the location's role as a shark hotspot in the Pacific. Juvenile shark abundance in the fishing grounds of the Ba Estuary (north‐western Viti Levu) was assessed with a gillnet‐ and longline‐based survey from December 2015 to April 2016. A total of 103 juvenile sharks identified as blacktip Carcharhinus limbatus (n = 57), scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini (n = 35), and great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran (n = 11) sharks were captured, tagged, and released. The condition of umbilical scars (68% open or semihealed), mean sizes of individuals (±SD) (C. limbatus: 66.5 ± 3.8 cm, S. lewini: 51.8 ± 4.8 cm, S. mokarran 77.4 ± 2.8 cm), and the presence of these species over recent years (based on fishermen interviews), suggest that the Ba Estuary area is a critical habitat for multiple species that are classified as “Near Threatened” or “Endangered.” Specifically, the area likely acts as a parturition ground over the studied period, and potentially as a subsequent nursery area. We identified subareas of high abundance and found that temperature, salinity and depth acted as small‐scale environmental drivers of shark abundance. The data suggests a tendency for species‐specific spatial use, both horizontally (i.e., between sampling areas) and vertically (i.e., across the water column). These results enhance the understanding of shark ecology in Fiji and provide a scientific basis for the implementation of local conservation strategies that contribute to the protection of these threatened species.

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Habitat use, residency, and seasonal distribution of female leopard sharks Triakis semifasciata in Elkhorn Slough, California

Cited by 80 publications

References 47 publications

Seasonal residency, habitat use, and site fidelity of juvenile sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus in a Massachusetts estuary

Seasonal residency, habitat use, and site fidelity of juvenile sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus in a Massachusetts estuary

Complexities of coastal shark movements and their implications for management

Discovery of a multispecies shark aggregation and parturition area in the Ba Estuary, Fiji Islands

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