INVESTIGADORES
LUCIFORA Luis Omar
artículos
Título:
How can the feeding habits of the sand tiger shark influence the success of conservation programs?
Autor/es:
LUIS O. LUCIFORA; VERÓNICA B. GARCÍA; ALICIA H. ESCALANTE
Revista:
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Año: 2009 p. 291 - 301
ISSN:
1367-9430
Resumen:
The feeding habits of the sand tiger shark Carcharias taurus, one of the most
threatened sharks of the world, are poorly known. Sand tiger sharks are critically
endangered in the South-west Atlantic. Since 2007, the law requires that all
individuals caught in recreational fisheries off Argentina must be released. Using
data from a north Patagonian recreational fishery (n = 164 stomachs with
contents), we analyzed the diet of sand tiger sharks in relation with size, sex,
maturity stage and season; assessed prey consumption patterns and hooking
location; and estimated diet overlap with fishery landings. Sand tiger sharks
consumed mainly teleosts (55.4% of the total prey number, N) and elasmobranchs
(41.84% N), and ate more benthic elasmobranchs (batoids and angel sharks) as
they become larger. Sharks swallowed prey mostly in one piece (93.7%) and were
hooked mainly in internal organs (87.4%, n = 175), causing occlusion and
perforation of the esophagus and stomach, and lacerations to the pericardium,
heart and liver. Sand tiger sharks fed on the most heavily landed species,
overlapping almost completely (490%) with fishery landings. Conservation plans
should take into account that releasing hooked sharks could be insufficient to
minimize fishing mortality and that competition for food with fisheries is likely
to occur.