Updated reproductive parameters for the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the North Atlantic Ocean with inferences of distribution by sex and reproductive stage

Natanson, Lisa J.; Winton, Megan V.; Bowlby, Heather D.; Joyce, Warren; Deacy, Bethany; Coelho, Rui; Rosa, Daniela

doi:10.7755/fb.118.1.3

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For shortfin mako, Vooren et al (2005) and Costa et al (2002) reported the presence of neonates and pregnant females off southern Brazil. Moreover, the hypothesis of a nursery ground off Northwest Africa and Portugal is supported by the occurrence of neonate and young-of-the-year shortfin makos reported in Maia et al (2007) and Natanson et al (2020). Here, the presence of two neonates tagged off the Canary archipelago (tag IDs 62420 and 62621) reinforces the importance of this region for parturition.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…The vast majority of analyzed tracks belong to juvenile sharks of both sexes; only two mature sharks were monitored. These sharks were presumed to be mature based on published 50% size-at-maturity data (males: 182 cm FL, females: 280 cm FL; Natanson et al, 2020). Both were male, tagged in the Southwest (tag ID 157376) and Central (tag ID 167207) Atlantic regions and followed the general trend to move within/toward the continental shelf.…”

Section: Horizontal Movements and Spatial Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Movements, Habitat Use, and Diving Behavior of Shortfin Mako in the Atlantic Ocean

Santos

Domingo²,

Carlson

et al. 2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The shortfin mako is one of the most important shark species caught in Atlantic Ocean pelagic fisheries. Given increasing concerns for the stock status of the species, the present study was designed to fill gaps in the knowledge of habitat use and movement patterns of shortfin mako in the Atlantic Ocean. From 2015 to 2019, 53 shortfin makos were tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags within the North, Central, and Southwest Atlantic Ocean, with successful transmissions received from 34 tags. Generally, sharks tagged in the Northwest and Central Atlantic moved away from tagging sites showing low to no apparent residency patterns, whereas sharks tagged in the Northeast and Southwest Atlantic spent large periods of time near the Canary Archipelago and Northwest Africa, and over shelf and oceanic waters off southern Brazil and Uruguay, respectively. These areas showed evidence of site fidelity and were identified as possible key areas for shortfin mako. Sharks spent most of their time in temperate waters (18–22°C) above 90 m; however, data indicated the depth range extended from the surface down to 979 m, in water temperatures ranging between 7.4 and 29.9°C. Vertical behavior of sharks seemed to be influenced by oceanographic features, and ranged from marked diel vertical movements, characterized by shallower mean depths during the night, to yo-yo diving behavior with no clear diel pattern observed. These results may aid in the development of more informed and efficient management measures for this species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Horizontal Movements and Spatial Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movements, Habitat Use, and Diving Behavior of Shortfin Mako in the Atlantic Ocean

Santos

Domingo²,

Carlson

et al. 2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Eight of the mako sharks were tagged >40 nautical miles offshore from Port Aransas, and one was tagged from shore along the Padre Island National Seashore, Texas. The five males (167-218 cm FL) were mature or nearing maturity, and all four females (282-361 cm FL) were classified as mature based on published 50% size-at-maturity data (males: 182 cm, females: 280 cm; Natanson et al, 2020). Two females had recent (i.e., fresh with no healing or scarring) bite marks anterior to the dorsal fin at capture which could suggest mating or fighting behaviors were occurring (Figure 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Insights Into the Seasonal Movement Patterns of Shortfin Mako Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2021

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Highly mobile apex predators such as the shortfin mako shark (mako shark; Isurus oxyrinchus) serve an important role in the marine ecosystem, and despite their declining populations and vulnerability to overexploitation, this species is frequently harvested in high abundance in both commercial and recreational fisheries. In 2017, the North Atlantic stock was deemed overfished and to be undergoing overfishing and was recently listed in CITES Appendix II. Effective management of this species can benefit from detailed information on their movements and habitat use, which is lacking, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, a potential mating and parturition ground. In this study, we used satellite telemetry to track the movements of mako sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico between 2016 and 2020. In contrast to previous studies that have primarily tagged juvenile mako sharks (>80% juveniles), ∼80% of sharks tagged in this study (7 of 9) were presumed to be mature based on published size-at-maturity data. Sharks were tracked for durations ranging from 10 to 887 days (mean = 359 days; median = 239 days) with three mature individuals tracked for >2 years. Mako sharks tagged in this study used more of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico than reported in previous movement studies on juveniles, suggesting potential evidence of size segregation. While one mature female remained in the Gulf of Mexico over a >2-year period, predominantly on the continental shelf, two mature males demonstrated seasonal migrations ∼2,500 km from the tagging location off the Texas coast to the Caribbean Sea and northeastern United States Atlantic coast, respectively. During these migrations, mako sharks traversed at least 12 jurisdictional boundaries, which also exposed individuals to varying levels of fishing pressure and harvest regulations. Movement ecology of this species, especially for mature individuals in the western North Atlantic, has been largely unknown until recently. These data included here supplement existing information on mako shark movement ecology and potential stock structure that could help improve management of the species.

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“…The same pattern exists in other lamniforms, with females maturing later than males (e.g. Isurus oxyrinchus (Natanson et al ., 2020), Alopias superciliosus (Fernandez-Carvalho et al ., 2015 b ), Alopias vulpinus (Natanson & Gervelis, 2013)).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history parameters of the crocodile shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai, in the tropical Atlantic Ocean

et al. 2021

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The crocodile shark (Pseudocarcharias kamoharai) is a small lamniform shark that is occasionally by-caught in pelagic longline fisheries targeting tunas and swordfish. Due to its biological features, this species is highly vulnerable to overexploitation. However, at present, the crocodile shark is not evaluated for its stock status by any of the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. In this study, the biology of 391 specimens (220 females and 171 males), ranging from 44.2 cm to 101.5 cm fork length (FL), collected from the tropical region of the Atlantic Ocean, was examined. Ages were assigned from growth band counts in vertebral sections, with the modified von Bertalanffy growth model, using a fixed size at birth (L0) at 32 cm FL, producing the best fit: Linf = 105.6 cm FL and k = 0.14 y−1 for females; Linf = 94.6 cm FL and k = 0.18 y−1 for males. Maturity ogives were fitted to both length- and age-based data. The size (L50) and age (A50) at 50% maturity was estimated at 67.2 cm FL (5 years) and 81.6 cm FL (8 years) for males and females, respectively. Mean uterine fecundity was 3.7 pups per litter with a 1:1 embryonic sex ratio. Further work is needed regarding crocodile shark life-history characteristics, especially because there are no age validation studies of the band pair deposition periodicity. However, the parameters now presented can contribute to future evaluations of this species, which is especially important given its potentially vulnerable life history.

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Updated reproductive parameters for the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the North Atlantic Ocean with inferences of distribution by sex and reproductive stage

Cited by 15 publications

References 18 publications

Movements, Habitat Use, and Diving Behavior of Shortfin Mako in the Atlantic Ocean

Movements, Habitat Use, and Diving Behavior of Shortfin Mako in the Atlantic Ocean

New Insights Into the Seasonal Movement Patterns of Shortfin Mako Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico

Life history parameters of the crocodile shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai, in the tropical Atlantic Ocean

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