Abstract
Abstract The determination of the period of parturition and identification of nursery areas are fundamental for the management and conservation of a fishing resource. Through combination of monthly abundance, length measurements, and development time of embryos we inferred about parturition time of the Blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus, from Southwestern Atlantic. Specimens of C. limbatus were caught from 2002 and 2008 by artisanal fleets from three different locations along the Brazilian coast using gillnets (mesh width ranging between 30 and 120 mm between opposite knots and operating from 9 to 120 m in depth), handlines (19 to 140 m depth) and longlines (6 to 90 m depth). Through a comparative analysis of fisheries landing data collected, we have verified neonatal (< 90 cm) catch peaks at specific times of the year in different locations and, matching with birth prediction of embryos, propose that C. limbatuspresents a well-defined parturition time in late spring-early summer in Southwestern Atlantic. Moreover, we indicate supposed nursery grounds for the species along the Brazilian coast. This information will be crucial for stock assessments of the species and may serve as a basis for determining fisheries management measures.
Highlights
The Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (Valenciennes, 1839), is a medium-sized species inhabiting the inshore waters from tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world (Burgess, Branstetter, 2009)
The peak of neonatal abundance found in December and January in the states of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe, coincides with the end of spring and the beginning of summer
In Rio Grande do Norte it was not possible to observe this pattern of gradual increase in the total length of the neonates because fishing landings were not monitored in January
Summary
The Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (Valenciennes, 1839), is a medium-sized species inhabiting the inshore waters from tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world (Burgess, Branstetter, 2009) This species makes use of inshore nursery grounds C. limbatus has been assessed globally as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Burgess, Branstetter, 2009) This shark presents, throughout its cosmopolitan distribution, differences in its population parameters related to reproductive and growth aspects (Branstetter, 1987; Killam, Parsons, 1989; Castro, 1996; Capapé et al, 2004; Carlson, Sulikowski, 2006; Burgess, Branstetter, 2009; Baremore, Passerotti, 2013). Given this well-documented difference in population parameters, it is pertinent that the different populations of C. limbatus be considered as different management units for the purpose of protecting their populations, in regions where these differences have been proven
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