Ecological Risk Assessment with integrated genetic data for three commercially important shark species in the Mexican Pacific

Abstract

Sharks are highly vulnerable species due to their biological characteristics. Productivity and Susceptibility Analysis (PSA) is a useful method to assess the vulnerability of shark populations to prioritize management strategies. Given that molecular and genetic tools have played an important role in the conservation of vulnerable populations and species, the objective of this study was to evaluate the ecological risk of Prionace glauca, Isurus oxyrinchus, and Alopias vulpinus in the Mexican Pacific by incorporating genetic information into PSA. We hypothesized that the integration of genetic variables such as genetic structure and diversity (Fst, h, and π), in a PSA will allow us to discriminate species with the same vulnerability index. The results of PSA-1 indicated that I. oxyrinchus, and A. vulpinus were at high ecological risk with identical vulnerability values (v = 2.2). Our results suggest that PSA with the combination of genetic attributes could be a useful tool for the application of conservation strategies or management policies, making easier the interpretation of results when the productivity or susceptibility attributes do not provide enough variation to prioritize between species or populations analyzed. Nevertheless, more studies that combine fishery and genetic information of commercially important sharks are needed.