Coelacanth discoveries in Madagascar, with AUTHORS: Andrew Cooke1 recommendations on research and conservation Michael N. Bruton2 Minosoa Ravololoharinjara3 The presence of populations of the Western Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) in AFFILIATIONS: 1Resolve sarl, Ivandry Business Madagascar is not surprising considering the vast range of habitats which the ancient island offers. Center, Antananarivo, Madagascar The discovery of a substantial population of coelacanths through handline fishing on the steep volcanic 2Honorary Research Associate, South African Institute for Aquatic slopes of Comoros archipelago initially provided an important source of museum specimens and was Biodiversity, Makhanda, South Africa the main focus of coelacanth research for almost 40 years. The advent of deep-set gillnets, or jarifa, for 3Resolve sarl, Ivandry Business catching sharks, driven by the demand for shark fins and oil from China in the mid- to late 1980s, resulted Center, Antananarivo, Madagascar in an explosion of coelacanth captures in Madagascar and other countries in the Western Indian Ocean. CORRESPONDENCE TO: We review coelacanth catches in Madagascar and present evidence for the existence of one or more Andrew Cooke populations of L. chalumnae distributed along about 1000 km of the southern and western coasts of the island. We also hypothesise that coelacanths are likely to occur around the whole continental margin EMAIL:
[email protected] of Madagascar, making it the epicentre of coelacanth distribution in the Western Indian Ocean and the likely progenitor of the younger Comoros coelacanth population. Finally, we discuss the importance and DATES: vulnerability of the population of coelacanths inhabiting the submarine slopes of the Onilahy canyon in Received: 23 June 2020 Revised: 02 Oct.