J.L.Y. Spaet, M.L. Berumen
Fisheries Research, 161, pp. 356-364, (2015)
Elasmobranch populations worldwide are severely threatened due to
overexploited and unregulated fisheries. Despite the fact that sharks
and rays are captured in fisheries operating along the Red Sea coast of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), information on any aspects of these
fisheries are very limited. Here we document the structure, composition
and biological characteristics of eastern Red Sea elasmobranch fisheries
based on genetic identification and market survey data over an
intensive two-year sampling period at the biggest Red Sea fish market in
the KSA (Jeddah). Market surveys conducted two times per month between
2011 and 2013 revealed that 24 previously confirmed elasmobranch species
for the Red Sea were landed by fishers and offered for sale. Genetic
identification revealed two potentially undescribed guitarfish species
as well as four batoid species not formerly reported from the Red Sea.
Five coastal carcharhinid species dominated the landings—Carcharhinus sorrah, C. amblyrhynchos, C. falciformis, C. limbatus, Rhizoprionodon acutus,
together comprising 73% numerically of the total catch. Targeted shark
fisheries reportedly exist in shark nursery areas. Most elasmobranchs
outside of these areas were reportedly landed as bycatch. Most
strikingly, the large majority of landed elasmobranchs were immature
males or females below their reported size of sexual maturity, which
suggests potential for both growth and recruitment overfishing and
emphasizes the urgent need to implement region-specific management and
conservation strategies to avoid the loss of these critical predators.