Abstract
Despite the fact that elasmobranchs are now targeted in artisanal fisheries in the wake of continuous declines of teleosts in Ghana, data on any aspects of these fisheries are poor. This study aims to document the spatial and temporal variation, and biological composition of elasmobranchs in five key elasmobranch-dominated fishing communities in Western Ghana, which include Adjoa, Axim, Busua, Dixcove and Shama. A total of 2157 elasmobranchs comprising 1414 sharks and 743 rays, belonging to 34 species in 15 families, were recorded over the course of 9 months. Prionace glauca (81.2%) and Raja parva (29.3%) were the dominant shark and ray species, respectively. Shama had the highest mean shark catch (33.3 ± S.D 29.7), followed by Dixcove (19.1 ± 14.7) and Axim (18.2 ± 12.4). However, Axim exhibited the greatest mean ray catch (25.8 ± 10.6), followed by Adjoa (10.9 ± 3.8) and Busua (9.6 ± 5.4). The greatest relative catch and species richness for all the sites was documented in the minor rainy season (August to November). Sexual segregation was typical among most of the common elasmobranch species landed. This study serves as a baseline for monitoring future changes in the artisanal shark and ray fisheries in Western Ghana.
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