Abstract
The most likely cause for the decline of many elasmobranchs is the
combination of high fishing pressure and slow reproductive life-history
characteristics. A key ambition of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Policy Plan
2013-2017, is the effective implementation of shark protection. The first step
towards effective protection is to conduct a base-line survey and to develop
robust, quantifiable objectives and reference points for conservation (and
fisheries) in order to be able to evaluate the performance of management
actions. Stereo Baited Remote Underwater Video Survey (BRUVS) is a noninvasive
method to study species richness, relative abundance and accurate
length frequency of fish species such as sharks. In this study we used BRUVS
to conduct a base-line survey of sharks on St Eustatius, Saba and the Saba
Bank. Shark assemblages were structured by habitat complexity, depth and to
a lesser extend management zone. Overall, the shark populations appeared to
be in reasonably healthy state. Relative abundance of the different shark
species was higher than reported for similar BRUV studies within the
Caribbean. A possible explanation for the current status of the shark
populations in the Caribbean Netherlands is the lack of destructive industrialscale
fishery practices (directed shark fisheries, shark finning, long-lining or
gillnetting). The establishment of a formal shark sanctuary in the Caribbean
Netherlands would prevent the future development of such destructive
fishery practices without completely restricting the occasional landing of
sharks as by-catch in the existing artisanal, small-scale fishery.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of the European Elasmobranch Association 2014 Scientific Conference |
Pages | 64 |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Event | European Elasmobranch Association 2014 Scientific Conference - Leeuwarden, Netherlands Duration: 7 Nov 2014 → 9 Nov 2014 |
Conference/symposium
Conference/symposium | European Elasmobranch Association 2014 Scientific Conference |
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Country/Territory | Netherlands |
City | Leeuwarden |
Period | 7/11/14 → 9/11/14 |