Using temporally explicit habitat suitability models to infer the migratory pattern of a large mobile shark

SÁNCHEZ-CARNERO, NOELA; COLONELLO, JORGE HORACIO; BARBINI, SANTIAGO ALDO; JAUREGUIZAR, ANDRÉS JAVIER; IRIGOYEN, ALEJO JOAQUÍN; BOVCON, NELSON DARÍO; CEDROLA, PAULA VICTORIA; DE WYSIECKI, AGUSTÍN MARÍA; MILESSI, ANDRÉS CONRADO; CORTÉS, FEDERICO; COLLER, NIDIA MARINA

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES

NATL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA-N R C RESEARCH PRESS

Lugar: Otawa; Año: 2020 vol. 77 p. 1529 - 1539

0706-652X

Conservation and management measures for large mobile sharks are more effective when information on migratory patterns and environmental cues are known. In the absence of long-term monitoring data or tracking programs, available information is based on occasional catch/sighting records from a variety of sources, usually constrained in space and time. This study demonstrates the utility of developing temporally explicit habitat suitability (HS) models to infer the migratory pattern of large mobile sharks. Bimonthly presence-only HS models (MaxEnt algorithm) were developed for the broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus in the South-west Atlantic based on an exhaustive collection of data records, and ecologically relevant predictors. The six final models showed good predictive power and were evaluated with independent data. A migratory pattern characterized by two main displacements was inferred from the models. We show that HS models can be applied as a no-cost desk-based alternative to infer broad-scale movements of large mobile sharks. This methodology is relevant as an important first step toward informing management plans in data-poor and financially limited regions, or under urgent conservation need.