Extraction of high-quality genomic DNA from the dermal denticles and fragment of tooth enamel of a shark has enabled identification of a specific shark. The study describes a non-invasive process that allows collection of genetic samples from a shark. It details the procedure utilizing PCR analysis of a shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, that permitted isolation of genomic DNA of satisfactory size and quality to identify an individual shark. Swig B, Collier RS. (2021) Novel method for the extraction of DNA from Lamniformes tooth and denticle enamel Suitable for PCR. BioRXiv [on ..read more

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments reveal growing human pressures on whale sharks, (Rhincodon typus), are putting them at an increasing risk of extinction. Whale sharks are listed as Endangered. Numbers of the giant plankton-feeding whale sharks have more than halved over the last 75 years as these slow-moving sharks continue to be fished and killed by ship propellers. Whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea feed on plankton and small fish. The largest confirmed whale shark had a length of 12.65 metres (41.5 feet) and a weight of about 21.5 tons (47,0 ..read more

Modern sharks occupy marine ecosystems across the world but display little morphological diversity, being mostly streamlined predators. Vullo et al. describe a new species of shark from the late Cretaceous that shows that the lack of current variation is not due to limited morphological “exploration” in the past. Specifically, Aquilolamna milarcae displays many features similar to modern manta rays, notably long, slender fins and a mouth seemingly adapted to filter feeding, suggesting that it was planktivorous. This finding indicates both that elasmobranchs evolutionarily experimented with ot ..read more

A team of marine scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has confirmed that southern Africa's most threatened endemic shark - the Critically Endangered shorttail nurse shark (Pseudoginglymostoma brevicaudatum) - has been found to occur in Mozambique; a finding that represents a range extension of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles). Publishing their findings in the journal Marine Biodiversity, the team said that the discovery was based on several records of the shark including underwater video surveys collected in 2019, recent photos of shore-based sport anglers' c ..read more

Of all the shark fishing countries in the European Union, the fishers of Spain catch the most shortfin mako sharks, Isurus oxyrinchus, accounting for nearly half of all the North Atlantic landings. On January 28th, at a meeting with executives from CEPESCA (Spain’s fishing boat owners' association), Spain's Environment Minister Teresa Ribera announced a moratorium on mako sharks. It includes a 2021 zero retention of mako sharks by Spanish vessels domestically and in the North Atlantic, including bycatch (which means even if mako sharks are caught accidentally they cannot be retained on t ..read more

Our Djibouti Whale Shark Project has just published a paper that documents─ for the first time─the presence of a leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, in Djibouti waters. The leatherback turtle is the most widely distributed marine turtle species and is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This leatherback was spotted in the Gulf of Goubest (the far western region of the Gulf of Aden). Our observation suggests that the Gulf of Aden may be more important habitat for this species than previously recognized but it is not yet known if Djibouti is a permanent ..read more

The Philippines host the second-largest known aggregation of whale sharks in the world. Donsol, the first and longest-running whale shark ecotourism destination in the Philippines, has become known as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World.” On 15 March 2020, a free-swimming 60cm newborn male whale shark was found in the shallow, coastal waters of Donsol. It was the third occurrence of neonatal whale sharks reported in the area, that together with the occurrence of juveniles and adults, anecdotal mating and precopulatory behaviour, it highlights the importance of Donsol for the species as ..read more

The Seychelles, a archipelago in the western Indian Ocean with a huge Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 million square kilometres, faces challenges when it comes to monitoring illegal activities in the nation's waters. A Sri Lankan-flagged fishing vessel was spotted by Seychelles Air Force Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) during a routine surveillance operation on the Mahe Plateau, south east of the main island. The boat was apprehended by the Seychelles Coast Guard patrol ship Topaz and diverted to Port Victoria for investigation. No boarding operation could be conducted immediately while ..read more

In just 40 years populations of the smalltail shark, Carcharhinus porosus, plummeted by 90% in Brazil due to rampant overfishing. Small-scale, artisanal fishers using gillnets and industrial-fishing operations with trawl nets that regularly reach up to 5.5 miles in length have pushed the species close to extinction. Most of the sharks caught are juveniles. The loss of so many immature sharks from the population removes any chance they’d get to breeding age and perpetuate the species. Although IUCN Red List identifies the species as “data deficient,” meaning its extinction risk hasn’t been ful ..read more

Large-bodied hammerhead sharks are of conservation concern worldwide but protection of their populations requires knowledge of their distribution patterns and their essential habitat use as well as their interactions with human activities. Juvenile smooth hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna zygaena, are especially threatened. Fin-mounted satellite tags attached to six juveniles sharks off the US mid-Atlantic coast revealed the sharks remained in the shallow waters off southern Long Island, New York during the summer, with some southern movement to the waters off New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland in la ..read more