Echinorhinus brucus (Bonnaterre, 1788) in the Caribbean Sea: A recurrent visitor, or are the artisanal fisheries exploiting deeper waters?

Abstract

Documentation of Echinorhinus brucus, (Bonnaterre, 1788) in the western Atlantic primarily relies on chance observations. Georeferenced records in this area remain notably scarce. This study contributes the second Venezuelan and seventh Caribbean Sea specimens, increasing the western Atlantic count to 15 individuals. All specimens gathered here were sexually mature, with a slight dominance of females. Our bramble shark record appears to be driven more by the interplay of its biology and environmental factors than being a deliberate deep-sea fishery activity, which likely occurs in the Southern Caribbean area.