Shark diversity in the Arabian/Persian Gulf higher than previously thought: insights based on species composition of shark landings in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Although fish fauna in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have been studied for decades, shark diversity has only been recently investigated in the region. Here, we present a first comprehensive account of shark diversity from the United Arab Emirates based on fishery-dependent data collected at market and landing sites over a two-year period of field sampling. Landings across the country were dominated by carcharhinids, and six species were found to be most abundant, including the spot-tail shark, Carcharhinus sorrah, and the milk shark, Rhizoprionodon acutus, contributing 31.8 % and 29.9 %, respectively, of the total number of sharks. While observed landings varied among regions and across seasons, results showed that shark landings were dominated by smallsized species, which may be a reflection of overexploitation. We are now expanding the existing checklist of shark species in the Persian Gulf from 27 to 31, having utilized both morphological identification and genetic barcoding in validating the existence of the grey bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium griseum; the tawny nurse shark, Nebrius ferrugineus; the silky shark, Carcharhinus falciformis; and the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, in these waters. This inventory provides an urgently needed assessment of current regional diversity patterns that can now be used as a baseline for future investigations evaluating the effect of fisheries on shark populations. Results emphasize the need for research on life history traits of the various species in order to determine their regional conservation status, but also reveal that a precautionary approach to conservation will be necessary to mitigate anthropogenic impacts.

Demographics and length and weight relationships of commercially important sharks along the north‐western coast of India

“…Rhizoprionodon oligolinx , which seems to occur more frequently in these waters, is heavily fished compared with south‐west India and the Gulf (Akhilesh et al, ; Jayaprakash et al, ; Moore et al, ). Rhizoprionodon acutus is also heavily fished throughout the region, contributing up to 50% of landings from the northern Arabian Sea and Gulf countries (Henderson et al, ; Henderson et al, ; Henderson, McIlwain, Al‐Oufi, & Ambu‐Ali, ; Jabado, Al Ghais, Hamza, Shivji, & Henderson, ; Jabado et al, ; Kasim, ; Moore et al, ). Both these species, along with I. omanensis , are listed as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red of Threatened Species List at the global level, yet these assessments do not consider information on stock status or population information specific to the region, and even more specifically to Gujarat (IUCN, ).…”

The trade in sharks and their products in the United Arab Emirates

“…1). Whole sharks and fins are auctioned here daily from 17:00 to 20:00 h. Data were collected four times a month until January 2012 and then twice a month until September 2012 (Jabado et al, 2014b). While on some days sharks were transported from other emirates (Abu Dhabi and Sharjah) to this site, the large majority of sharks and fins auctioned in Deira originated from Oman.…”

“…Along with sharks transported from landing sites across the UAE (Jabado et al, 2014b), at least 37 shark species are traded in Deira (Table 1). This likely represents the minimum number of shark species traded in the UAE since products from other species could have been imported directly to Emirati processing sites.…”

“…Since no shark species have been assessed regionally, it is critical to monitor them, collect regional data on exploitation rates and determine priorities for conservation. For instance, fishermen in the UAE stated that makos had disappeared from Gulf waters and this species was not found during landing site surveys across the country (Jabado et al 2014a;Jabado et al 2014b). However, this species was a substantial component of the trade from Oman and it is clear that exploitation rates need to be assessed regionally.…”

Trophic levels of teleost and elasmobranch species in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

“…In these areas, more than 1,000 species including fin‐fishes and elasmobranchs have been reported (Grandcourt, ; Randall, ). Of particular interest are a considerable number of threatened sharks, rays and skates in both the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea (Jabado et al., ; Vosoughi, ).…”