Loading...
11 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
- Updates on habitat use and migrations patterns for shortfin mako in the Atlantic using satellite telemetryPublication . Casaca Santos, Catarina; Domingo, Andrés; Carlson, John; Natanson, Lisa; Travassos, Paulo; Macias, David; Cortés, Enric; Miller, Philip; Hazin, Fábio H. V.; Mas, Federico; Ortiz de Urbina, Josetxu; Coelho, RuiThis paper provides an update of the study on habitat use for shortfin mako, developed within the ICCAT Shark Research and Data Collection Program (SRDCP). A total of 43 tags (29 miniPATs and 14 sPATs) have been deployed by observers on Portuguese, Uruguayan, Brazilian, Spanish and US vessels in the temperate NE and NW, Equatorial and SW Atlantic. Data from 41 tags/specimens are available, and a total of 1656 tracking days have been recorded. Results showed shortfin mako moved in multiple directions, travelling considerable distances. Shortfin mako sharks spent most of their time above the thermocline (0-90 m), between 18 and 22 °C. The main plan for the next phase of the project is to continue the tag deployment during 2019 in several regions of the Atlantic.
- A review of reported effects of pelagic longline fishing gear configurations on target, bycatch and vulnerable speciesPublication . Casaca Santos, Catarina; Rosa, Daniela; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Coelho, Rui1. A meta-analysis of 40 publications totalling 59 experiments was undertaken to review and assess the effects of changing the hook (circle vs. J-hooks or tuna hooks), bait (fish vs. squid) and leader (wire vs. nylon) type on retention and at haulback mortality rates of teleosts (tunas and billfishes), elasmobranchs and sea turtles caught on shallow-set and deep-set pelagic longline fisheries. 2. Circle hooks are a promising approach to mitigate the impact of pelagic longline fisheries on sea turtles, as they reduced sea turtle retention rates. The adoption of circle hooks would, however, also lead to a decrease in swordfish retention, the main target species of shallow-set pelagic longlines. 3. Using fish as bait resulted in lower retention rates of sea turtles, highlighting that option as an additional measure to further mitigate sea turtle bycatch. The bait type had non-significant effects on sharks, except for blue shark and shortfin mako, for which at-haulback mortality rates were significantly higher with fish bait. 4. The use of nylon leaders instead of wire leaders could serve as a conservation measure for sharks, as they reduced the retention of blue shark without adversely impacting the catches of swordfish. The results on the effect of the leader material types should, however, be interpreted with caution owing to the limited information available reporting on leader material effects. 5. When considering future research directions, priority should be given to experimental field work on the effects of leader material and on deep-set longlines. Evaluating the post-release survival of species should also be a priority.
- Post-release mortality of shortfin mako in the Atlantic using satellite telemetry: preliminary resultsPublication . Domingo, Andrés; Casaca Santos, Catarina; Carlson, John; Natanson, Lisa; Cortés, Enric; Mas, Federico; Miller, Philip; Hazin, Fábio H. V.; Travassos, Paulo; Coelho, RuiThis paper provides an update of the study on post-release mortality of the shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus developed within the ICCAT Shark Research and Data Collection Program (SRDCP). Up to date, 34 tags (14 sPATs and 20 miniPATs) have been deployed by observers on Brazilian, Portuguese, Uruguayan, and US vessels in the temperate NE and NW, Equatorial and SW Atlantic. Data from 28 out of 34 tagged specimens could be used to obtain preliminary information regarding post-release mortality, resulting in a total of 7 mortality and 21 survival events.
- Progress on a meta-analysis for comparing hook, bait and leader effects on target, bycatch and vulnerable fauna interactionsPublication . Casaca Santos, Catarina; Rosa, Daniela; Coelho, RuiThis paper describes the progress of an EU Project "Evaluation of the effects of hooks’ shape & size on the catchability, yields and mortality of target and by-catch species, in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas surface longline fisheries". At this stage, a meta-analysis of 36 publications totaling 55 experiments was conducted to assess effects of hook, bait, and leader type on retention and at-haulback mortality rates of swordfish, blue shark, and loggerhead sea-turtle. Using circle hooks significantly lowers retention rates of loggerhead sea-turtles and swordfish. Fish bait significantly reduces the retention of loggerhead sea-turtles but does not significantly affect the retention of swordfish or blue shark. The effects of using wire leaders could not be assessed for the loggerhead turtle and significantly increased retention of blue sharks. As for at-haulback mortality, it was significantly reduced for swordfish when using circle hooks. Fish bait increased at-haulback mortality of blue shark and was not significant for the other taxa. The effects of using wire leaders on at-haulback mortality were only possible to calculate for blue shark and were not significant.
- Beyond post-release mortality: inferences on recovery periods and natural mortality from electronic tagging data for discarded lamnid sharksPublication . Bowlby, Heather D.; Benoît, Hugues P.; Joyce, Warren; Sulikowski, James; Coelho, Rui; Domingo, Andrés; Cortés, Enric; Hazin, Fabio; Macias, David; Biais, Gérard; Casaca Santos, Catarina; Anderson, BrookeAccurately characterizing the biology of a pelagic shark species is critical when assessing its status and resilience to fishing pressure. Natural mortality (M) is well known to be a key parameter determining productivity and resilience, but also one for which estimates are most uncertain. While M can be inferred from life history, validated direct estimates are extremely rare for sharks. Porbeagle (Lamna nasus) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) are presently overfished in the North Atlantic, but there are no directed fisheries and successful live release of bycatch is believed to have increased. Understanding M, post-release mortality (PRM), and variables that affect mortality are necessary for management and effective bycatch mitigation. From 177 deployments of archival satellite tags, we inferred mortality events, characterized physiological recovery periods following release, and applied survival mixture models to assess M and PRM. We also evaluated covariate effects on the duration of any recovery period and PRM to inform mitigation. Although large sample sizes involving extended monitoring periods (>90 days) would be optimal to directly estimate M from survival data, it was possible to constrain estimates and infer probable values for both species. Furthermore, the consistency of M estimates with values derived from longevity information suggests that age determination is relatively accurate for these species. Regarding bycatch mitigation, our analyses suggest that juvenile porbeagle are more susceptible to harm during capture and handling, that keeping lamnid sharks in the water during release is optimal, and that circle hooks are associated with longer recovery periods for shortfin mako.
- Hook, bait and leader type effects on surface pelagic longline retention and mortality rates: a meta-analysis with comparisons for target, bycatch and vulnerable fauna interactionsPublication . Casaca Santos, Catarina; Rosa, Daniela; Coelho, RuiA meta-analysis of 24 publications was conducted to assess effects of hook, bait and leader type on retention and at-haulback mortality rates of target, bycatch and vulnerable species of the pelagic longline fishery. Turtles and swordfish had lower retention rates with circle hooks. In contrast, retention rates of 3 sharks and 2 tuna species were greater with circle hooks. Bait type did not seem to significantly influence the retention rates of most of the species examined. Wire leader lead to a decrease in retention rates of bony fishes and a mix for elasmobranchs. For athaulback mortality, hook type was the most influential, with 5 elasmobranch species and 6 bony fishes having a significantly lower at-haulback mortality rates when using circle hooks. Bait type and leader type did not have a significant effect on at-haulback mortality rates for most species. The results presented here should be considered preliminary. Future work will consider expanded information on fishery characteristics.
- Movements, habitat use, and diving behavior of Shortfin Mako in the Atlantic OceanPublication . Casaca Santos, Catarina; Domingo, Andrés; Carlson, John; Natanson, Lisa J.; Travassos, Paulo; Macías, David; Cortés, Enric; Miller, Philip; Hazin, Fábio; Mas, Federico; Ortiz de Urbina, Josetxu; Lino, Pedro G.; Coelho, RuiThe 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.
- Local indicators for global species: Pelagic sharks in the tropical northeast Atlantic, Cabo Verde islands regionPublication . Coelho, Rui; Macías, David; Ortiz de Urbina, Josetxu; Martins, Albertino; Monteiro, Carlos; Lino, Pedro G.; Rosa, Daniela; Casaca Santos, Catarina; Bach, Pascal; Murua, Hilario; Abaunza, Pablo; Santos, Miguel N.Pelagic sharks are an important bycatch in pelagic fisheries, especially for drifting longlines targeting swordfish. In the Cabo Verde Archipelago (tropical NE Atlantic), pelagic shark catches can reach a significant proportion of the total catches. Due to the increased concern on the status of pelagic shark species, this study was developed to enhance the current knowledge of those sharks in the Cabo Verde region in comparison to the adjacent areas, especially associated with European Union (EU) pelagic longline fishing activity. Stock status indicators for the two main species, blue shark (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), were developed, based on fisheries data from logbooks and onboard scientific observers, including analysis of size frequency distributions and standardized catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) indexes over time. The standardized CPUEs have been stable or increasing for both species in the past 10 years, indicating no signs of local depletion. In terms of sizes, the blue shark catch is composed mainly of adults, which can be a sign of a stable population. On the contrary, the catch of shortfin mako is composed mainly of juveniles, which in conjunction of a decrease of mean size might be a cause of concern, highlighting possible overfishing on the species in the region. Thirty satellite tags, 25 archival miniPATs and 5 SPOT GPS, were deployed in the Cabo Verde Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), showing that those species are highly mobile. The biomass and size distributions were modeled with spatial and seasonal models (GAMs) identifying locations where juveniles are predominantly concentrated and that should be prioritized for conservation. This work presents new information on the status of pelagic sharks in the Cabo Verde region in the context of those highly migratory species, and can now be used to promote more sustainable fisheries in the region.
- Leader material and bait effects on target and bycatch species caught in an Atlantic Ocean pelagic longline fisheryPublication . Casaca Santos, Catarina; Santos, Miguel N.; Rosa, Daniela; Coelho, RuiThe influence of bait type and leader material on target and bycatch species was assessed through fishing experiments in the Portuguese shallow pelagic longline fishery in the Atlantic Ocean. Wire leaders were found to decrease catch rates of commercially valuable species such as bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna, while increasing catch rates of elasmobranchs, including the blue shark and shortfin mako. The odds ratios of capture swordfish and tunas also decrease when using wire leaders, while elasmobranchs have higher odds ratios of capture and athaulback mortality when using wire leaders. Squid bait led to higher catches of targeted tuna species, however it also resulted in higher catches of marine turtles. For most of the taxa caught at-haulback mortality risk was found to be higher on squid bait, which may be related with increased deep-hooking events. While bait type and leader material did not significantly affect size selectivity for most species, wire leaders were found to retain larger blue sharks and fish bait attracted smaller-sized swordfish. This study showed that banning wire leaders on pelagic longline fisheries is an effective measure for reducing the retention of pelagic shark species, particularly of large size blue sharks.
- Assessing the effects of hook, bait and leader type as potential mitigation measures to reduce bycatch and mortality rates of shortfin mako: a meta-analysis with comparisons for target, bycatch and vulnerable fauna interactionsPublication . Rosa, Daniela; Casaca Santos, Catarina; Coelho, RuiA meta-analysis of 24 publications was conducted to assess effects of hook, bait and leader type on retention rates of target, bycatch and vulnerable species of the pelagic longline fishery. Retention rate and at-haulback mortality rate analyses considered hook type, bait type, the combination of both variables and leader type. Turtles and swordfish had a lower retention rate with circle hooks. In contrast, retention rates of 3 sharks and 2 tuna species were greater with circle hooks. Bait type alone did not seem to significantly influence the retention rates of most of the species examined. Results were mixed when considering the combined effects of hook and bait type. Wire leader led to a decrease in retention rates of bony fishes and a mix for elasmobranchs. For at-haulback mortality, hook type was the most influential, while bait type only influenced blue shark at-haulback mortality. Leader type did not have a significant effect. The results presented here should be considered preliminary. Future work will consider information on at-haulback mortality rates for bony fishes and sea turtle and expanded information on fishery characteristics.