Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks

MacNeil, M. Aaron; Chapman, Demian D.; Heupel, Michelle R.; Simpfendorfer, Colin A.; Heithaus, Michael R.; Meekan, Mark G.; Harvey, Euan S.; Goetze, Jordan; Kiszka, Jérémy J.; Bond, Mark E.; Currey‐Randall, Leanne M.; Speed, Conrad W.; Sherman, C. Samantha; Rees, Matthew J.; Udyawer, Vinay; Flowers, Kathryn I.; Clementi, G; Valentin-Albanese, Jasmine; Gorham, Taylor; Adam, M. Shiham; Ali, Khadeeja; Pina-Amargós, Fabián; Angulo-Valdés, Jorge A.; Asher, Jacob; Barcia, Laura García; Beaufort, Océane; Benjamin, Cecilie; Bernard, Anthony; Berumen, Michael L.; Bierwagen, Stacy L.; Bonnema, Erika; Bown, Rosalind M. K.; Bradley, Darcey; Brooks, E. J.; Brown, Judith; Buddo, Dayne; Burke, Patrick J.; Cáceres, Camila; Cardeñosa, Diego; Carrier, Jeffrey C.; Caselle, Jennifer E.; Charloo, Venkatesh; Claverie, Thomas; Clua, Eric; Cochran, Jesse E. M.; Cook, Neil D.; Cramp, Jessica E.; D’Alberto, Brooke M.; Graaf, M. de; Dornhege, Mareike; Estep, Andy; Fanovich, Lanya; Farabough, Naomi F.; Fernando, Daniel; Flam, Anna L; Floros, Camilla; Fourqurean, Virginia; Garla, Ricardo C.; Gastrich, Kirk; George, Lachlan; Graham, Rory; Guttridge, Tristan L.; Hardenstine, Royale S.; Heck, Stephen M.; Henderson, Aaron C.; Hertler, Heidi; Hueter, Robert E.; Johnson, Mohini; Jupiter, Stacy D.; Kasana, Devanshi; Kessel, Steven T.; Kiilu, Benedict; Kirata, Taratu; Kuguru, Baraka; Kyne, Fabian; Langlois, Tim; Lédée, Elodie J. I.; Lindfield, Steve; Luna‐Acosta, Andrea; Maggs, JQ; Manjaji‐Matsumoto, B. Mabel; Marshall, Andrea D.; Matich, Philip; McCombs, Erin; McLean, Dianne L.; Meggs, Llewelyn; Moore, Stephen; Mukherji, Sushmita; Murray, Ryan; Kaimuddin, Muslimin; Newman, Stephen J.; Nogués, Josep; Obota, Clay; O’Shea, Owen R.; Osuka, Kennedy; Papastamatiou, Yannis P.; Perera, Nishan; Peterson, Bradley J.; Ponzo, Alessandro; Prasetyo, Andhika Prima; Quamar, L. M. Sjamsul; Quinlan, Jessica; Ruiz-Abierno, Alexei; Sala, Enric; Samoilys, Melita; Schärer‐Umpierre, Michelle; Schlaff, Audrey M.; Simpson, Nikola; Smith, Adam N. H.; Sparks, Lauren; Tanna, Akshay; Torres, Ruben E.; Travers, Michael J.; Bergmann, Maurits van Zinnicq; Vigliola, Laurent; Ward, Juney; Watts, Alexandra M.; Wen, Colin Kuo-Chang; Whitman, Elizabeth; Wirsing, Aaron J.; Wothke, Aljoscha; Zarza-Gonzâlez, Esteban; Cinner, Joshua E.

doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2519-y

Cited by 221 publications

(235 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…BRUVS and stereo‐BRUVS were deployed around Scott Reef North, Scott Reef South, Imperieuse and Clerke Reefs in September 2016 as part of the Global FinPrint Project (MacNeil et al 2020; Fig. 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reef‐wide evidence that the presence of sharks modifies behaviors of teleost mesopredators

et al. 2021

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The idea that the presence of sharks impacts the behavior of mesopredatory reef fishes is controversial and lacks clear evidence at reef‐wide scales. We compared the abundance and behavior of these reef fishes in response to the presence of reef sharks using Baited Remote Underwater Video System (BRUVS) deployments in two adjacent reef systems where sharks have either been exclusively targeted by fishing or protected by a no‐take marine reserve. For a subset of videos, we also compared the behavior of mesopredatory reef fishes immediately before and after the appearance of sharks in the video. On reefs where sharks were more abundant, mesopredatory fishes spent less time swimming in midwater (i.e., away from shelter) and guarding bait compared to reefs where sharks have been selectively removed. The same responses occurred after the appearance of sharks in the video. Reactions to sharks varied both in strength and type among species of mesopredator and were mediated by the availability of shelter on the reef and, for one species, by the levels of activity of the reef sharks. In contrast, we did not find that the presence of sharks influenced the abundance of mesopredators at either reef system across hour‐long videos or immediately before and after a shark appeared in the video. Collectively, our findings show that the presence of sharks reduces the propensity of mesopredatory fish to engage in potentially risk‐prone behaviors over large spatial scales and that these interactions are mediated by the behavioral characteristics of both predators and prey, and the environment in which they co‐occur. Our results are consistent with the idea that sharks as predators or larger competitors initiate changes in the behavior of mesopredatory reef fishes likely to affect trophic structuring within coral reef ecosystems.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reef‐wide evidence that the presence of sharks modifies behaviors of teleost mesopredators

et al. 2021

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“…Outside the tropical Western Atlantic, we recommend further investigation of the feasibility of sampling of secondary fins, including considerations of the time, effort, and cost of species identification from these fins, what secondary fin type to use, and the means to communicate with fishers and incentivize participation. Most importantly sampling of this nature could provide information that is fundamental for moving toward sustainable management of shark fisheries outside of highly developed countries, which is an important environmental and economic goal all over the world (MacNeil et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using fisher‐contributed secondary fins to fill critical shark‐fisheries data gaps

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et al. 2021

Conservation Biology

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Developing-world shark fisheries are typically not assessed or actively managed for sustainability; one fundamental obstacle is the lack of species and size-composition catch data. We tested and implemented a new and potentially widely applicable approach for collecting these data: mandatory submission of low-value secondary fins (anal fins) from landed sharks by fishers and use of the fins to reconstruct catch species and size. Visual and low-cost genetic identification were used to determine species composition, and linear regression was applied to total length and anal fin base length for catch-size reconstruction. We tested the feasibility of this approach in Belize, first in a local proof-of-concept study and then scaling it up to the national level for the 2017-2018 shark-fishing season (1,786 fins analyzed). Sixteen species occurred in this fishery. The most common were the Caribbean reef (Carcharhinus perezi), blacktip (C. limbatus), sharpnose (Atlantic [Rhizoprionodon terraenovae] and Caribbean [R. porosus] considered as a group), and bonnethead (Sphyrna cf. tiburo). Sharpnose and bonnethead sharks were landed primarily above size at maturity, whereas Caribbean reef and blacktip sharks were primarily landed below size at maturity. Our approach proved effective in obtaining critical data for managing the shark fishery, and we suggest the tools developed as part of this program could be exported to other nations in this region and applied almost immediately if there were means to communicate with fishers and incentivize them to provide anal fins. Outside the tropical Western Atlantic, we recommend further investigation of the feasibility of sampling of secondary fins, including considerations of time, effort, and cost of species identification from these fins, what secondary fin type to use, and the means with which to communicate with fishers and incentivize participation. This program could be a model for collecting urgently needed data for developing-world shark fisheries globally.

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“…In large scale studies that span several countries (e.g. [ 82 ]), it is not always feasible to complete surveys in the same season. Our results demonstrate that the elasmobranch assemblage did not differ between seasons, thus any conclusions made regarding species composition should be accurate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeatability of baited remote underwater video station (BRUVS) results within and between seasons

et al. 2020

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Baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) are increasingly being used to evaluate and monitor reef communities. Many BRUVS studies compare multiple sites sampled at single time points that may differ from the sampling time of another site. As BRUVS use grows in its application to provide data relevant to sustainable management, marine protected area success, and overall reef health, understanding repeatability of sampling results is vital. We examined the repeatability of BRUVS results for the elasmobranch community both within and between seasons and years, and explored environmental factors affecting abundances at two sites in Indonesia. On 956 BRUVS, 1139 elasmobranchs (69% rays, 31% sharks) were observed. We found consistent results in species composition and abundances within a season and across years. However, elasmobranch abundances were significantly higher in the wet season. The elasmobranch community was significantly different between the two sites sampled, one site being more coastal and easily accessed by fishermen. Our results demonstrate that while BRUVS are a reliable and repeatable method for surveying elasmobranchs, care must be taken in the timing of sampling between different regions to ensure that any differences observed are due to inherent differences amongst sampling areas as opposed to seasonal dissimilarities.

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Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks

Cited by 221 publications

References 42 publications

Reef‐wide evidence that the presence of sharks modifies behaviors of teleost mesopredators

Reef‐wide evidence that the presence of sharks modifies behaviors of teleost mesopredators

Using fisher‐contributed secondary fins to fill critical shark‐fisheries data gaps

Repeatability of baited remote underwater video station (BRUVS) results within and between seasons

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