Occurrences of whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul archipelago, Brazil

Fhv Hazin,T Vaske Júnior,Pg Oliveira,Bcl Macena,F Carvalho

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842008000200021

Fhv Hazin, T Vaske Júnior + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/s1519-69842008000200021

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Abstract

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in the central tropical Atlantic, is an important ground of whale sharks that are commonly sighted throughout the year close to the fishing boats in the adjacencies of the islands. In sightings reported between February 2000 and November 2005, the lengths of the individuals ranged between 1.8 to 14.0 m. The causes of these concentrations in the archipelago are still unclear, once there are no upwellings and plankton concentrations for feeding, and no reproductive activities were reported. Nevertheless, they could be associated to the spawning period of the abundant flying fishes, mainly in the first semester, when sightings were more frequent.

Highlights

The whale shark, Rhincondon typus is the biggest fish of the world, inhabiting all tropical and subtropical oceans, with records of them in warm tropical waters, except in the Mediterranean (Compagno, 1984; Colman, 1997)
54 observations of whale shark were made in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) (Table 1)
27th 2000 was estimated comparing the fish to the length of the fishing boat since the whale shark remained for 10 minutes by the side of the boat

Summary

Introduction

The whale shark, Rhincondon typus is the biggest fish of the world, inhabiting all tropical and subtropical oceans, with records of them in warm tropical waters, except in the Mediterranean (Compagno, 1984; Colman, 1997). Due to the strategic position of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) between the two hemispheres, and the Atlantic and African continents, the archipelago is an important concentration ground of migratory species such as tunas, billfishes, turtles, dolphins, and the whale sharks. It is one of the smallest, most isolated groups of oceanic islands in the world. The rocky islands are interesting from the population biology and biogeographical perspectives because of their very small size and isolation They are uniquely influenced by both the superficial Southern Equatorial Current flowing eastward, and the Equatorial Undercurrent flowing westward.

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