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First record of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae) from Indian waters

Authors:
Dipani Sutaria at James Cook University
Dipani Sutaria
Aashi Parikh at Macquarie University
Aashi Parikh
Alissa Barnes at Wildife Conservation Society - India
Alissa Barnes
  • Wildife Conservation Society - India
Rima W. Jabado at Elasmo Project
Rima W. Jabado
  • Elasmo Project
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The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is a common coastal shark in the regions of the world where it occurs. Here, the first documented record of the sandbar shark is reported from north-western Indian waters, off the coast of Gujarat. Two specimens, one male and one female, were recorded and landed by a trawl vessel in Porbandar on 23 October 2014, measuring 610 and 760 mm in total length, respectively. This occurrence represents the first confirmed record of C. plumbeus in both western and eastern Indian waters.
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First record of the sandbar shark,
Carcharhinus plumbeus, (Chondrichthyes:
Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae)
from Indian waters
dipani sutaria
1
, aashi parikh
2
, alissa barnes
3
and rima w. jabado
4
1
James Cook University, Townsville, 4810, Queensland, Australia,
2
St Xaviers College, Ahmedabad, 382421, Gujarat, India,
3
A.V.C.
College, Tamil Nadu, 609305, India,
4
Gulf Elasmo Project, P.O. Box 29588, Dubai, UAE
The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is a common coastal shark in the regions of the world where it occurs. Here, the
first documented record of the sandbar shark is reported from north-western Indian waters, off the coast of Gujarat. Two
specimens, one male and one female, were recorded and landed by a trawl vessel in Porbandar on 23 October 2014, measuring
610 and 760 mm in total length, respectively. This occurrence represents the first confirmed record of C. plumbeus in both
western and eastern Indian waters.
Keywords: sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, new record, Gujarat, India, elasmobranchs
Submitted 3 May 2015; accepted 23 July 2015
INTRODUCTION
The family Carcharhinidae comprises at least 56 described
species (Ebert et al., 2013), of which 26 have been confirmed
from Indian waters (Akhilesh et al., 2014). The sandbar
shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827), is a wide-
ranging large coastal shark found in warm and temperate
seas and inhabiting continental and insular shelves, as well
as deep waters adjacent to them (Compagno, 1984). The
sandbar shark is usually common in the areas where it
occurs (McElroy et al.,2006; Ellis & Musick, 2007), often
found in coastal waters, and utilizing bays, estuaries and
shallow near-shore habitats as nursery areas during the first
few years of its life (Compagno, 1984; National Marine
Fisheries Service, 1991). Some populations of sandbar sharks
across the world have shown significant declines due to
fishing pressures and their conservative life history traits
(slow growth, late maturity and low fecundity) (Musick
et al.,2009). Therefore, this species is categorized as
Vulnerable globally based on the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species criteria (Musick et al.,2009).
Recent studies investigating shark diversity in the Arabian
Sea and adjacent waters have confirmed the occurrence of C.
plumbeus from the Red Sea, northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of
Oman and Arabian/Persian Gulf (Henderson et al.,2008;
Jabado et al.,2014b, 2015; Spaet & Berumen, 2015).
Records from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast indicate
that this species is landed but represents less than 1% of
sampled landings (Spaet & Berumen, 2015). Market surveys
along the coast of Oman only documented a 940 mm imma-
ture female from Dibba in early winter (Henderson et al.,
2008). Furthermore, a longlining project captured a pregnant
female measuring 2020 mm in total length (TL) and a mature
male of 1730 mm TL in Muscat at a depth of 120 m in late
spring (Henderson et al.,2008). Intensive landing site
surveys in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) only recorded
13 C. plumbeus (Jabado et al.,2014b) while fishery independ-
ent surveys captured one female measuring 1800 mm TL
along the coast of Dubai at a depth of 20 m (Jabado, unpub-
lished data). Data from the trade in shark species undertaken
through the UAE indicates that over 3% of species traded
originate from C. plumbeus captured in Arabian Seas and
Gulf of Oman waters (Jabado et al.,2015). Although the
abundance of sandbar sharks in these waters seems to be
relatively low compared to other species, specimens of
various life history stages are reported throughout the year
from the region.
Only one reference to the occurrence of C. plumbeus in
Indian waters exists in the published literature on Indian elas-
mobranchs, with the authors suggesting it appears in pelagic
shark catches of tuna longline vessels in offshore waters of
the Arabian Sea, but with no further details provided (Pillai
& Parakkal, 2000). Yet, in a recent comprehensive review of
chondrichthyan diversity in Indian waters, this species was
not reported (Akhilesh et al., 2014). Here, we present the
first evidence of the occurrence of C. plumbeus off western
India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
On 23 October 2014, two sandbar sharks, Carcharhinus plum-
beus, were landed at the fishing port of Porbander in Gujarat,
Corresponding author:
R.W. Jabado
Email: rimajabado@hotmail.com
1
Marine Biodiversity Records, page 1 of 3. #Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2015
doi:10.1017/S1755267215001025; Vol. 8; e126; 2015 Published online
India (Figure 1). The specimens were caught by a trawl vessel
that was out fishing for two weeks, initially operating within a
40 m depth while traveling north, and then in deeper waters
west of Dwarka and Jakhau at depths of 80 – 100 m. The TL
(mm) was measured to the nearest centimetre using a measur-
ing tape along the stretched body of the specimen (Compagno,
1984). Sex was determined by the presence or absence of clas-
pers, but no observations were made of the internal organs.
Weight was recorded using a circular spring balance.
RESULTS
The identification of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plum-
beus, was based on the typical diagnostic features of this
species as described by Compagno (1984)(Figure 2).
Two specimens, one male and one female, were recorded
and measured 610 and 760 mm TL, respectively. The male
specimen had partially developed claspers. Although it was
not possible to weigh the male specimen, the female
weighed approximately 2 kg.
DISCUSSION
This record of Carcharhinus plumbeus, the first from Indian
waters and specifically from the western Indian coast, is
important in understanding the wide geographic range of
this species. It brings the total number of shark species
known from Indian waters to 75 and the chondrichthyan
species to 156. Records of C. plumbeus from the northern
Indian Ocean exist primarily from the Red Sea, the
Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea (Henderson et al.,2008;
Jabado et al.,2014b,2015; Spaet & Berumen, 2015) and
indicate that this species is either not abundant in this
region or has limited interactions with regional fisheries.
The latter is unlikely due to the nature of fisheries in the
region, which are multi-species and multi-gear (Balan
et al., 1987; Jabado et al.,2014a). However, it indicates
that this species is wide-ranging and that, given the
limited capacity in shark identification in the northern
Arabian Sea area, it may have been previously landed but
misidentified or has gone unreported.
The small size of the two specimens reported here, as well
as the non-calcified claspers of the male record, confirms that
they were juveniles. In fact, although biological traits of
various shark species can vary considerably between different
regions of the world (Compagno et al.,2005), C. plumbeus
males and females reach maturity at lengths varying
between 1080 and 1830, and 1085 and 1490 mm TL, respect-
ively (Stevens & McLoughlin, 1991; Hazin et al.,2007; White,
2007). Although information on the exact capture location of
these specimens could not be recorded, many of the trawlers
off Porbander fish north, west and north-west of Porbandar
in waters ranging from 20 to 180 m (Sutaria, unpublished
data), reinforcing some of the previous studies on this
species that indicate it is generally a demersal species
(McElroy et al.,2006; Ellis & Musick, 2007).
While this record provides additional information on the
occurrence and distribution of the sandbar shark in this
region, more data is required to fully understand its ecology
and distribution. Furthermore, it reflects the limited knowl-
edge of elasmobranchs in the region. In fact, with new elasmo-
branch records frequently reported from Indian waters (Babu
et al.,2011; Kumar et al.,2012,2013; Bineesh et al.,2014; Sen
et al.,2014), more research on the diversity of these species in
this region is warranted.
Fig. 1. Map of the region with an inset depicting the location where the Carcharhinus plumbeus specimens were landed.
Fig. 2. Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827), female, lateral view, 760 mm TL.
2 dipani sutaria et al.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the fishermen in Porbander for allow-
ing us to collect information from the specimen and for sup-
porting our research in the area. The Save Our Seas
Foundation provided financial support for these surveys
through a grant to Dipani Sutaria.
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Correspondence should be addressed to:
R.W. Jabado
Gulf Elasmo Project
P.O. Box 29588, Dubai, UAE
email: rimajabado@hotmail.com
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Conclusion
Chapter
  • Dec 2016
Given long generation times and relatively slow reproductive rates, elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are particularly prone to overexploitation. The unrelenting demand for shark products is unsustainable and many shark fisheries are collapsing. Because of the urgency of addressing this situation, this book concludes with an overview of how DNA-based tools are being deployed for the identification of shark products in commercial trade and summarize the relevance of this information for conservation and management. Advances in reference sequence library construction, population-level identification methods, and instrumentation platforms, together with declining costs of conducting molecular diagnostic tests, will enhance the uptake of these tools for seafood authentication and traceability. However, as this text has demonstrated, they are already improving our ability to monitor patterns of exploitation and yield greater transparency in the industry. The results highlight the urgency of enforcing existing regulations and promoting additional measures to conserve the world's shark fisheries.
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On a new record of sixgill sting ray Hexatrygon bickelli Heemstra and Smith, 1980 from south-west coast of India
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2011
The sixgill sting ray Hexatrygon bickelli Heemstra and Smith,1980 was recorded from south-west coast of India for the first time, based on a single specimen caught during the regular demersal fishery resource survey conducted by Fishery Survey of India in the area of lat. 10° 44.3’ N, long. 74°14.7’ E at 508 m depth. The present specimen identified has seven gill slits on the right side instead of six gill slits reported for other Hexatrygon species Keywords: Batoid ray, Hexatrygon blickelli, Sixgill sting ray, South-east coast
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Shark diversity in the Arabian/Persian Gulf higher than previously thought: insights based on species composition of shark landings in the United Arab Emirates
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2014
Although fish fauna in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have been studied for decades, shark diversity has only been recently investigated in the region. Here, we present a first comprehensive account of shark diversity from the United Arab Emirates based on fishery-dependent data collected at market and landing sites over a two-year period of field sampling. Landings across the country were dominated by carcharhinids, and six species were found to be most abundant, including the spot-tail shark, Carcharhinus sorrah, and the milk shark, Rhizoprionodon acutus, contributing 31.8 % and 29.9 %, respectively, of the total number of sharks. While observed landings varied among regions and across seasons, results showed that shark landings were dominated by small-sized species, which may be a reflection of overexploitation. We are now expanding the existing checklist of shark species in the Persian Gulf from 27 to 31, having utilized both morphological identification and genetic barcoding in validating the existence of the grey bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium griseum; the tawny nurse shark, Nebrius ferrugineus; the silky shark, Carcharhinus falciformis; and the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, in these waters. This inventory provides an urgently needed assessment of current regional diversity patterns that can now be used as a baseline for future investigations evaluating the effect of fisheries on shark populations. Results emphasize the need for research on life history traits of the various species in order to determine their regional conservation status, but also reveal that a precautionary approach to conservation will be necessary to mitigate anthropogenic impacts.
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Checklist of Chondrichthyans in Indian waters
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2014
Conservation, management and sustainable utilisation of biological resources depend on the accurate identification of exploited taxa, which emphasises the need for systematic taxonomic research. Chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) are considered to be one of the most vulnerable exploited marine resources, however, the basic taxonomic study of these groups in Indian waters needs improvement to achieve better management for their sustainable exploitation. We discuss issues concerning chondrichthyan taxonomic research in India and provide an extended, updated checklist of 155 chondrichthyans listed/reported from Indian waters, together with comments on their occurrence.
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First record of blue-spotted stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii from Gujarat, north-west coast of India
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2014
One female specimen of blue-spotted stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii was collected from a single day trawl catch along with other species of rays from the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, India. The present paper describes the first record of the blue-spotted stingray from the State of Gujarat, thereby adding another species to the total recorded species list from the area.
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DNA Barcoding Confirms the Occurrence Rare Elasmobranchs in the Arabian Sea of Indian EEZ
Article
Full-text available
  • Feb 2014
The present paper reports and confirms the occurrence of Rhynchobatus australiae Whitley, 1939, Dasyatis microps Annandale (1908), Himantura granulata (Macleay, 1883), Aetomylaeus vespertilio (Bleeker, 1852) in the Arabian Sea coast of India and an extension of from their known distribution range by mitochondrial DNA (COI) analysis based on specimens/tissues collected from southwest coast of India. The obtained 640 bp COI sequence fragments perfectly matched with specific sequences available on the Barcode of Life Data (BOLD) system database
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The shark fishery in the United Arab Emirates: An interview based approach to assess the status of sharks
Article
  • Jun 2014
  • AQUAT CONSERV
Anecdotal evidence suggests that sharks are being targeted in the United Arab Emirates artisanal fishery. However, little information is available on this fishery and baseline information is essential for understanding its impact on shark populations in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, and for managing sharks in this region. The aim of this study was to investigate the artisanal shark fishery and gain an insight into the social, motivational and economic drivers behind it. Fishery characteristics were examined and the effect of fishing on local shark stocks assessed by interviewing Emirati fishermen across the country (n = 126). Sharks were found to be increasingly targeted owing to their high value in the global fin trade industry. The majority of fishermen (80%) confirmed that changes in species composition, abundance and sizes of sharks have been continuing for more than two decades, mainly because of overfishing, raising concerns about the sustainability of this fishery. Results suggest that sharks are likely to be overexploited and that management measures will need to take into account the precautionary principle. There is an urgent need to formulate long‐term and effective conservation and management plans to prevent further declines in a number of species. Additional efforts should be directed to quantify the ecological implications of the observed changes and determine if these are aggravated by the life‐history traits of the fished species. Such implications should be considered when assessing the sustainability of local fisheries. The data gathered can now serve as a reference to managers, fisheries scientists and other stakeholders to prioritize future research as well as lay foundations for the development and implementation of national management plans for the protection and conservation of sharks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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