Biology Faculty Articles
Title
Applying Genetic Techniques to Study Remote Shark Fisheries in Northeastern Madagascar
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2011
Publication Title
Mitochondrial DNA: The Journal of DNA Mapping, Sequencing & Analysis
Keywords
COI, Conservation, ITS2, Shark fins, Species identification, Shark fisheries, Endangered species, Fish tagging, Wildlife conservation
ISSN
1940-1736
Volume
22
Issue/No.
Supplement 1
First Page
15
Last Page
20
Abstract
Background and aims: The shark fisheries of Madagascar remain largely unstudied. Remoteness makes fisheries monitoring challenging while the high value of shark fins combined with the extreme poverty in Madagascar creates intensive pressure on shark resources.
Materials and methods: We use DNA barcoding and species-specific PCR assays to characterize shark fisheries in Antongil Bay in northeastern Madagascar.
Results: The 239 samples taken from individuals collected in 2001 and 2002 correspond to 19 species. The four most common species were Sphyrna lewini, Rhizoprionodon acutus, Carcharhinus brevipinna, and C. sorrah. Antongil Bay may be a breeding area for C. brevipinna, C. leucas, and S. lewini.
Conclusion: Local names are generally not a useful proxy for monitoring the species harvested in the fishery. Conservation efforts should characterize species exploitation at present, create spatial and temporal fishing restrictions to protect endangered species, and restrict large mesh gillnets.
NSUWorks Citation
Doukakis, Phaedra; Robert H. Hanner; Mahmood S. Shivji; Cecilia Bartholomew; Demian D. Chapman; Eugene Wong; and George Amato. 2011. "Applying Genetic Techniques to Study Remote Shark Fisheries in Northeastern Madagascar." Mitochondrial DNA: The Journal of DNA Mapping, Sequencing & Analysis 22, (Supplement 1): 15-20. doi:10.3109/19401736.2010.526112.
ResearcherID
G-4080-2013
DOI
10.3109/19401736.2010.526112
Comments
©2011 Informa UK, Ltd.