Espino Fernando, González José Antonio, Bosch Néstor E, Otero-Ferrer Francisco J, Haroun Ricardo, Tuya Fernando
Research Group in Biodiversity and Conservation, IU-ECOAQUA, Scientific and Technological Marine Park Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Telde Canary Islands Spain.
Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Marina Aplicada y Pesquerías, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Canary Islands Spain.
Ecol Evol. 2022 Jul 13;12(7):e9098. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9098. eCollection 2022 Jul.
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. 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 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.
鲨鱼在海洋生态系统的结构和功能中发挥着关键作用。获取更多生态信息对于对这种动物实施负责任的管理和保护行动至关重要，特别是在区域层面针对受威胁物种。该物种在东大西洋广泛分布，并被世界自然保护联盟欧洲评估列为“易危”物种。在本研究中，利用“地方生态知识”，通过收集沿东北大西洋东西向梯度分布的加那利群岛各岛屿沿海海域的目击记录、当地美食遗产中的长期印记以及十年渔业上岸量数据，来获取该物种在这些岛屿上的分布和种群结构信息。这两种定量数据来源（目击记录和渔业上岸量）均表明，该物种的成年个体在群岛的东部和中部岛屿的出现频率明显高于西部岛屿。这也反映在当地美食传统上，东部和中部岛屿的相关食谱数量更多。成年平滑鲨在沙质和沙岩质海底的出现频率明显更高，全年都能观察到个体，而幼鲨在春季和夏季聚集在非常浅的水域。这种聚集需要特殊的管理策略，因为它们在关键生命阶段发挥着关键作用；这些区域应受到保护，免受人为干扰。我们还建议在4月至10月期间实施临时禁渔，因为在此期间个体倾向于集中在近岸水域。由于这种鲨鱼在加那利群岛各岛屿的出现情况差异很大，该物种的管理应适应每个岛屿的具体特点，而不是在整个群岛范围内采取统一的管理政策。总体而言，本研究为进一步调查奠定了基础，以促进对研究区域内这种易危鲨鱼的保护。
