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Fine-scale spatial and seasonal partitioning among large sharks and other elasmobranchs in south-eastern Queensland, Australia

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Taylor, S. M., Sumpton, W. D. and Ham, T. (2011) Fine-scale spatial and seasonal partitioning among large sharks and other elasmobranchs in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research, 62 (6). pp. 638-647.

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Article Link: http://doi.org/10.1071/MF10154

Publisher URL: http://www.publish.csiro.au/mf/pdf/MF10154

Abstract

Our understanding of the ecological role of larger elasmobranchs is limited by a lack of information on their spatial and seasonal abundance. Analysis of 14 years of gill-net catch data in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, revealed that the species composition of large sharks and other elasmobranchs significantly differed among beaches and seasons. Spinner sharks (Carcharhinus brevipinna) and hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) comprised nearly half the catch of all elasmobranchs. Although the distribution of these sharks overlapped, spatial variation existed in their abundance. Spinner sharks characterised the catch at Sunshine Coast beaches, whereas the catch at Gold Coast beaches was dominated by hammerhead sharks. Seasonal differences in elasmobranch community structure were also apparent, driven largely by a lower abundance of many species during the winter and the predominance of species such as spinner sharks and hammerheads in spring and summer. The present study provides the first quantitative data for numerous species of Carcharhiniformes in south-eastern Queensland and demonstrates that analysis of catch-rate data can improve our understanding of how larger sharks partition resources. © CSIRO 2011.

Item Type:Article
Business groups:Animal Science
Additional Information:Reproduced with permission from © CSIRO Publishing. Access to published version is available via Publisher’s website. Open access
Keywords:community structure hammerhead shark partitioning shark-control program spatial patterns spinner shark temporal patterns abundance beach catch composition coastal zone data set ecological approach fish functional morphology gillnet population distribution quantitative analysis resource use shark species diversity temporal variation Australia Queensland Carcharhiniformes Carcharhinus brevipinna Chondrichthyes Elasmobranchii Sphyrna Sphyrnidae
Subjects:Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery resources
Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery management. Fishery policy
Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery research
Live Archive:05 Apr 2019 01:08
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:45

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