Dataset Information

Horizontal and vertical movements of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in the northeast Atlantic.

ABSTRACT: Commercial landings of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in northern European seas are increasing, whilst our knowledge of their ecology, behaviour and population structure remains limited. M. asterias is a widely distributed demersal shark, occupying the waters of the southern North Sea and Irish Sea in the north, to at least the southern Bay of Biscay in the south, and is seasonally abundant in UK waters. There are no species-specific management measures for the northeast Atlantic stock, and the complexity of its population structure is not yet fully understood. To address this issue, we deployed both mark-recapture and electronic tags on M. asterias to gain novel insights into its horizontal and vertical movements. Our data suggest that the habitat use of M. asterias changes on a seasonal basis, with associated changes in geographical distribution, depth utilisation and experienced temperature. We report the first direct evidence of philopatry for this species, and also provide initial evidence of sex-biased dispersal and potential metapopulation-like stock structuring either side of the UK continental shelf. Investigations of finer-scale vertical movements revealed clear diel variation in vertical activity. The illustrated patterns of seasonal space-use and behaviour will provide important information to support the stock assessment process and will help inform any future management options.

SUBMITTER: Griffiths CA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7592766 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Horizontal and vertical movements of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in the northeast Atlantic.

Griffiths Christopher A CA Wright Serena R SR Silva Joana F JF Ellis Jim R JR Righton David A DA McCully Phillips Sophy R SR

PloS one 20201028 10

Commercial landings of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in northern European seas are increasing, whilst our knowledge of their ecology, behaviour and population structure remains limited. M. asterias is a widely distributed demersal shark, occupying the waters of the southern North Sea and Irish Sea in the north, to at least the southern Bay of Biscay in the south, and is seasonally abundant in UK waters. There are no species-specific management measures for the northeast Atlantic stock, a ...[more]

PMID: 33112858

Similar Datasets

Project description:Sharks play a key role in the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. More ecological information is essential to implement responsible management and conservation actions on this fauna, particularly at a regional level for threatened species. Mustelus mustelus is widely found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and catalogued as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN European assessment. In this study, data on the distribution and population structure of this species across the islands of the Canarian archipelago, located along an east to west gradient in the north-eastern Atlantic, were collected by taking advantage of "Local Ecological Knowledge," in terms of sightings in coastal waters and long-term imprints on the local gastronomic heritage, and decadal fisheries landings. Both sources of quantitative data (sightings and fisheries landings) demonstrated that adults of M. mustelus has a significantly larger presence in the eastern and central, than in the western islands of the archipelago. This is also reflected on local gastronomic legacies, with a larger number of recipes in the eastern and central islands. Adult smooth-hound sharks were significantly more observed in sandy and sandy-rocky bottoms, with individuals seen throughout the entire year, whereas juveniles aggregate on very shallow waters in spring and summer. Such aggregations require a special management strategy, as they play a key role in critical life stages; these sites should be protected from human perturbations. We also suggest a temporal fishing ban between April and October, when individuals tend to concentrate on nearshore waters. Because of the large differences in presence of this shark among the Canary Islands, management of the species should be adapted to the specific peculiarities of each island, rather than adopting a management policy at the entire archipelago-scale. Overall, this study sets the basis for further investigation to promote conservation of this vulnerable shark in the study region.

Dataset Information

Horizontal and vertical movements of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in the northeast Atlantic.

Publications

Horizontal and vertical movements of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in the northeast Atlantic.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets