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doi: 10.4121/14784369

Stoffers, Twan; de Graaf, Martin; Hendrik V. Winter; Nagelkerke, L.A.J. (2021): Data underlying the publication: "Distribution and ontogenetic habitat shifts of reef-associated shark species in the northeastern Caribbean". Version 1. 4TU.ResearchData. dataset. https://doi.org/10.4121/14784369.v1

Dataset

• Fisheries Sciences

Baited remote underwater video, Baseline study, BRUV, Carcharhinus perezi, Caribbean Netherlands, Conservation, Elasmobranchs, Ginglymostoma cirratum, marine reserve use

CC BY-SA 4.0

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by Twan Stoffers , Martin de Graaf , Hendrik V. Winter , L.A.J. Nagelkerke

Understanding how reef-associated sharks utilise coastal reef habitats throughout their ontogeny is essential for their effective management. In this study, we assessed the distribution of sharks in the northern Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, Saba Bank and St Eustatius) and ontogenetic shifts in habitat and depth use of the 2 most observed species: Caribbean reef shark Carcharhinus perezi and nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. We used stereo baited remote underwater video (stereo-BRUV) surveys at 376 sites. A total of 126 shark sightings (6 species) were recorded, with C. perezi (n = 72) and G. cirratum (n = 42) most frequently observed. The probability of recording at least 1 shark per deployment ranged from 0.19 to 0.37 and is comparable with shark occurrences in the small number of other stereo-BRUV studies in the Wider Caribbean Region. Habitat type was the most important factor driving reef-associated shark occurrences, with the highest probability of observing C. perezi and G. cirratum in soft-coral habitat. Additionally, occurrences of C. perezi were significantly influenced by the management zone, with highest probabilities of occurrence in no-fishing zones. Almost all observed reef-associated sharks (95.6%) were juveniles, indicating that the study area may be a nursery area. Overall, both species were observed in deeper waters with increasing size, indicating ontogenetic shifts in depth use. Our findings imply that protected areas should not be limited to a single habitat or depth, but focus on protecting a large area with the range of habitats and depths necessary for reef-associated sharks to complete their life cycle.

• 2021-06-16 first online, published, posted

4TU.ResearchData

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Distribution and ontogenetic habitat shifts of reef-associated shark species in the northeastern Caribbean

Aquaculture and Fisheries, Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research

E-mail name Reason

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