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Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 16(3) 1108-1113 2017

First report of thresher sharks (Alopiidae) in the Gulf of

Gökoğlu M.*; Teker S.; Julian D.

Received: August 2016 Accepted: April 2017

Akdeniz University, Fisheries Faculty Antalya/ *Corresponding author's Email: [email protected]

Keywords: Thresher sharks, Alopiidae, Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus, Gulf of Antalya

Introduction Alopias superciliosus: This species is Generally, Alopiidae family members highly migratory species and can be are active, strong-swimming, pelagic, found up to 750 m depths. It is coastal and deep-water sharks. They are distributed in the tropical and temperate characterized by a very long upper seas (from Nassau and the northern caudal lobe. They have two dorsal fins; coast of Cuba; northward to off New the second dorsal and anal fins are very Jersey and Long Island; end the Gulf of small. They can be found in all warm Mexico South to Venezuella; off oceans and mainly feed on small to southern Brazil and eastern Atlantic, moderately large schooling fishes and Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific) squids (Compagno, 2002). (Compagno, 2002). A. superciliosus Up to now, only three species have was reported three times (first species been described in family Alopiidae with from the Sivrice Coast in 2006, second two of them Alopias vulpinus species from the Fethiye Coast in 2011, (Bonnaterre, 1788) and Alopias third species from the Silivri Coast in superciliosus (Lowe, 1839) reported 2011) from the Mediterranean coast of from the (Golani et Turkey (Kabasakal et al., 2011). al., 2006). The third species (A. Alopias vulpinus: This species is pelagicus) is reported from the Pacific epipelagic, swims usually close to the Ocean (Compagno, 2001; Golani et al., surface but was recorded at 350 m 2006; Gowthaman et al., 2014). (Golani et al., 2006). It feeds mainly on schooling fishes such as sardines,

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anchovies, mackerels, carangids etc. as bait of longline. Longline was set at The thresher shark is found from sunset and were hauled at sunrise. tropical seas to the cold temperate The fresh specimens were waters in almost worldwide. In the photographed (Fig. 2), measured as eastern Atlantic Ocean it is known to total length (TL in cm) and weighed as exist from Norway and the British Isles total weight (TW in g) on a flat surface, to Cape Province, South Africa, using a tape measure and a portable including the Mediterranean Sea. It is scale. Species were identified according also found throughout the western to Compagno (1984), Serena (2005) Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans keys. (Compagno, 2001). An overview of fisheries in the Gulf Results and discussion of Antalya, longline is used for In this study Alopiidae species and also swordfish fishing. During swordfish some of non-target fishes were caught fishing by longline sometimes non- during the fishing activities. Four target fish species were caught specimens of A. superciliosus and one (Gökoğlu and Oray, 1992). specimen of A. vulpinus were caught in Recently all the thresher shark the Gulf of Antalya. Three A. species were reported as vulnerable for superciliosus and A. vulpinus were global assessment by the The IUCN caught by the swordfish longline and Red List of Threatened Species 2009 the other A. superciliosus was caught in (Amorim et al., , 2009). According to the commercial trawl operation. The IUCN, there are no data on these fishes total length and weight of fish caught in the Mediterranean Sea. This study were measured. These values were aimed to improve the lack of data on shown in the Table 1. these species in the Mediterranean Sea.

Materials and methods The specimens were caught in 2015 by a local swordfish longline and commercial trawl operation in the Gulf of Antalya (Fig. 1). Samplings of fishes were made by a bottom trawl net having 22 mm mesh size. Trawl shots were performed at depths varying from 600 to 700 m for 2 h each time. Swordfish longline vessel about was 8-10 m in the length and there were two persons every vessel. Every longline was 12 000 m in length and 300 hooks (Number 2 hook). Mackerel was used

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Figure 1: Trawl operation and swordfish longline area in the Gulf of Antalya.

Figure 2: Alopias superciliosus caught by the swordfish longline in the Gulf of Antalya.

Table 1: Data on some biological properties of fish caught and fishing dates. Total length Weight No. Species Sex Date Caught Method (cm) (g) 1. A. superciliosus F 186 19000 19 March 2015 Long line 2. A. superciliosus M 180 15500 19 March 2015 Long line 3. A. superciliosus M 293 57000 12 April 2015 Bottom Trawl 4. A. superciliosus F 299 65000 15 July 2015 Long line 5. A. vulpinus F 450 226000 17 July 2015 Long line

There was no data on thresher sharks in Kabasakal (2007), the big eyed thresher the Gulf of Antalya until this study. Only shark (A. superciliosus) is very rarely Gökoğlu and Oray (1992) reported A. captured species in the Mediterranean vulpinus caught by the swordfish Sea. All members of the genus Alopias, longline in the Gulf of Antalya. the thresher sharks are listed as According to Serena (2005) and vulnerable globally because of their

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declining populations. These downward convention area either “Retaining on trends are the result of a combination of board, transhipping or landing any part slow life historical characteristics, or whole carcass of big eye thresher hence low capacity to recover from sharks (A. superciliosus) in any fishery” moderate levels of exploitation and high of “to undertake a directed fishery for levels of largely unmanaged and species of thresher sharks of the Alopias unreported mortality in target and by spp.”. catch fisheries (Amorim et al., 2009). Council Regulation No. 1185/2003 Kabasakal (2007) reported that prohibits the removal of shark fins of twenty-one Alopiid sharks including, these species, and subsequent two bigeye thresher shark (A. discarding of the body. This regulation superciliosus) and 19 common thresher is binding on EC (European sharks (A. vulpinus) were incidentally Commission) vessels in all waters and captured in the coastal water of Turkey. non-EC vessels in Community waters Two specimens of (A. superciliosus) (ICES, 2015). were caught in the Gulf of Gökova Five Alopiid sharks were reported (Kabasakal and Kabasakal, 2004) and firstly by this study from the coast of Silivri (). As for A. Turkey. During the swordfish fishing, vulpinus, only one specimen was caught these Alopiid species can be catch in the Mediterranean, the others were under consideration in the future. These caught in the Black, Marmara and fishes are caught alive when the Aegean Seas. Also, one specimen of A. swordfish fishing by the longline must vulpinus was reported from Iskenderun be released. Consequently, adding new Bay (Ergüden et al., 2015). updated data on species belonging to Gulf of Antalya is one of the most the Alopiida family in this study is very important regions for swordfish fishing important in the Mediterranean. which is caught by longline. In this study, one species of A. superciliosus References was caught by the commercial trawl Amorim, A., Baum, J., Cailliet, G.M., vessel and reported to the CIESM Clò, S., Clarke, S.C., Fergusson, I., (The Mediterranean Science Gonzalez, M., Macias, D., Commission). In 2015, a revision of the Mancini, P., Mancusi, C., Myers, Red List for European Marine Fishes R., Reardon, M., Trejo, T., Vacchi, classified both A. vulpinus and A. M. and Valenti, S.V., 2009. Alopias superciliosus as vulnurable (Amorim et superciliosus. The IUCN Red List of al., 2009). Threatened Species 2009. Section 23 of Council Regulation http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK. (EU) 2015/104 of 19 January 2015 20092.RLTS.T161696A5482468.en. prohibits EU vessels in the ICCAT (The Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO species International Commission for the catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) world. An annotated and illustrated

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catalogue of shark species known to Golani, D., Öztürk, B. and Başusta, date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to N., 2006. Fishes of the Eastern Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Mediterranean. Turkish Marine Synopsis, 125(4/1), 1-249. Rome: Research Foundation, Publication FAO. No. 24. Istanbul, Turkey, 259P. Compagno, L.J.V., 2001. Sharks of the Gowthaman, A.M., Jawahar, P. and world: An annotated and illustrated Venkataramani, V.K., 2014. New catalogue of shark species known to Occurance of Big Eye Tresher date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel SharksAlopiassuperciliosus, Lowe and carpet sharks 1841 in Gulf of Mannar, Southeast (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes Coast of India. Indian Journal of and Orectolobiformes). FAO. Rome, Geo-Marine Sciences, 43(5), pp. Italy. 883-885 Compagno L.J.V., 2002. FAO species ICES, 2015. Report of the Working catalogue for fishery purposes. Group on Elasmobranch Fishes Sharks of the world. An annotated (WGEF), 17–23 June 2015, Lisbon, and illustrated catalogue of shark Portugal. ICES CM 2015/ACOM, species known to date. Bullhead, 19. pp. 289-294 mackerel and carpet sharks Amorim, A., Baum, J., Cailliet, G.M., (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes Clò, S., Clarke, S.C., Fergusson, I., and Orectolobiformes). No. 1. Vol. Gonzalez, M., Macias, D., 2. Rome: FAO, 2001. Mancini, P., Mancusi, C., Myers, e.T161696A5482468. http://dx.doi.o R., Reardon, M., Trejo, T., Vacchi, rg/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20092. RLTS. M. and Valenti, S.V., 2009. Alopias T161696A5482468.en. Downloaded superciliosus. The IUCN Red List of on 18 April 2017. Threatened Species 2009. Ergüden, D., Gürlek, M. and Turan, http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK. C., 2015. Occurrence of the thresher 2009-2.RLTS. T161696A5482468. Alopiasvulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) en. from the Northeastern Mediterranean Kabasakal, H. and Kabasakal, E., coast of Turkey. Biharean Biologist, 2004. Sharks captured by 9(1), 76-77 commercial fishing vessels off the Gökoğlu, M. and Oray, I.K., 1992. coast of Turkey in the northern Antalya Körfezinde KılıçBalığı . Annales, Series Avcılığında Kullanılan Paraketalar Historia Naturalis, 14(2), 171-180. ile KılıçBalığı AvcılığınınYapılışı ve Kabasakal, H., 2007. Incidental Av YapanTeknelerin Özellikleri captures of tresher sharks Üzerine Bir Araştırma. Su Ürünleri (Lamniformes: Alopiidae) from the Avlama ve İşleme Teknolojisi Turkish coastal waters. Annales, Seminer Tebliğleri. Series Historia Naturalis, 17(1), 23- 28.

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Kabasakal, H., Dalyan, C. and Yurtsever, A., 2011. Additional records of the bigeye thresher shark Alopiassuperciliosus (Lowe, 1839) (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes: Alopiidae) from Turkish Waters. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 21/2. Serena, F., 2005. Field identification guide to the sharks and rays of the Mediterranean and . FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes FAO, Roma 97P.

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