African Angelshark (Squatina africana)

Kwazulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) Input for IUCN Red List assessments Squatina africana and Carcharhinus humani Report prepared by: Nomfundo Nakabi, KZN Sharks Board Submitted to and edited by: Kat Gledhill

Summary We have been asked to provide data on four species (Giant Guitarfish, Diamond Ray, African Angel Shark and Blackspot Shark) in addition to catsharks that are caught in the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board protective nets. The first four species were caught throughout from 1979-2017. However, for catsharks, only three (3) unidentified catsharks that were caught in protective nets between late 1980s and mid 1990s.

KZN Sharks Board have no further time series data on any other species from the Sub- Equatorial Africa IUCN Red List assessment species list for endemic and near-endemic species.

African Angelshark (Squatina africana) Squatina africana occurs close in shore at 60-400 m depth. The catch rates of S. africana in the Kwazulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) protective nets showed no statistically significant increase or decrease (p >0.05) from 1979-2017 (Table 1).

Human’s Whaler Shark (Carcharhinus humani) (Historically listed in KZNSB database as the Black Spot Shark C. sealei) Carcharhinus humani inhabits the coastal waters of Kwazulu-Natal and Mozambique and, due to its small size, it is rarely caught in the KZNSB protective nets (less than 12 per annum). The catch rates of Human’s whaler shark C. humani, in the KZNSB protective nets showed a statistically significant increase (p <0.05) from 1979-2017 (Table 2). The KZN Prawn Trawl Fishery between May 1989 and June 1992 caught only three (3) C. humani (Fennessy 1994).

THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™

Table 1. Summary statistics of CPUE regression analysis for S. africana 1979 -2017.

SS MS F Significance df F Regression 1 0.138638 0.138638 1.012168 0.320918 Residual 37 5.06793 0.136971 Total 38 5.206568

African angelshark 2.00 1.80 1.60 y = -0.0053x + 11.315 1.40 R² = 0.0266 1.20 1.00 CPUE 0.80 0.60 0.40 0.20 0.00 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Year

Figure 1. Catch rate of African angel shark in the KZNSB protective nets; 1979-2017.

Table 2. Summary statistics of CPUE regression analysis for C. humani 1979 -2017.

SS MS F Significance df F Regression 1 0.162199 0.162199 16.48218 0.000244 Residual 37 0.364113 0.009841 Total 38 0.526312

Figure 2. Catch rate of Human’s whaler shark in the KZNSB protective nets; 1979-2017.

References Fennessy, S.T. 1994. Incidental capture of elasmobranchs by commercial prawn trawlers on the Tugela Bank, Natal, South Africa. South African Journal of Marine Science, 14(1): 287-296.