Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom.
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2020 Oct 28;15(10):e0239480. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239480. eCollection 2020.
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.
北方欧洲海域的星斑狗鲛商业捕捞量正在增加，而我们对其生态、行为和种群结构的了解仍然有限。星斑狗鲛是一种分布广泛的底栖鲨鱼，分布在北海和爱尔兰海的北部水域，至少在南部比斯开湾的南部水域也有季节性的丰富种群，在英国水域季节性丰富。东北大西洋种群没有特定于物种的管理措施，其种群结构的复杂性尚未完全了解。为了解决这个问题，我们在星斑狗鲛上部署了标记重捕和电子标签，以深入了解其水平和垂直运动。我们的数据表明，星斑狗鲛的栖息地利用随季节而变化，伴随地理分布、深度利用和经历的温度的变化。我们报告了该物种首次直接的亲缘关系证据，也提供了性扩散偏倚和潜在的大陆架两侧类似集合种群结构的初步证据。对更精细的垂直运动的调查显示，垂直活动存在明显的昼夜变化。季节性空间利用和行为的图示模式将为支持种群评估过程提供重要信息，并有助于为任何未来的管理选项提供信息。
