Applying Genetic Techniques to Study Remote Shark Fisheries in Northeastern Madagascar

Authors

• Phaedra Doukakis, University of California - San Diego
• Robert H. Hanner, University of Guelph - Canada
• Mahmood S. Shivji, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
• Cecilia Bartholomew, American Museum of Natural History
• Demian D. Chapman, State University of New York - Stony Brook
• Eugene Wong, University of Guelph - Canada
• George Amato, American Museum of Natural History

ResearcherID

G-4080-2013

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Mitochondrial DNA: The Journal of DNA Mapping, Sequencing & Analysis

ISSN

1940-1736

Publication Date

10-2011

Keywords

COI, Conservation, ITS2, Shark fins, Species identification, Shark fisheries, Endangered species, Fish tagging, Wildlife conservation

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.

DOI

10.3109/19401736.2010.526112

Volume

22

Issue

Supplement 1

First Page

15

Last Page

20

Comments

©2011 Informa UK, Ltd.

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.