Shark and ray life history
Colin A. Simpfendorfer A C and Bradley Wetherbee BA Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture & College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
B Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Woodward 024, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: colin.simpfendorfer@jcu.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 66(4) i-ii https://doi.org/10.1071/MFv66n4_ED
Published: 30 March 2015
As many of the world’s shark and ray populations continue to decline (Dulvy et al. 2014) there is a growing need for improved conservation and management. One of the key requirements enabling design of effective conservation and management actions is life history parameters (Simpfendorfer et al. 2011) as these provide basic information on the dynamics of populations (Cortés 2007). Life history parameters (e.g. age, growth and reproduction) are directly tied to the reproductive output of a species, and thus unequivocally linked to the capacity of a population to withstand exploitation and to recover from decline. Despite this importance, research on the life history of sharks and rays has declined in recent years as ‘cooler’ and non-lethal topics have become more commonplace. However, on-going research on life history is fundamental for positive action to address declines of shark populations and policies aimed at recovery of populations. To highlight research that has been and is being conducted on the life history of sharks and rays, we have compiled a ‘Shark and ray life history’ virtual issue of Marine and Freshwater Research (Table 1), which is freely available from the Journal’s website for a limited time (http://www.publish.csiro.au/journals/mfr).
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The articles included in this virtual issue represent a broad spectrum of life history studies in terms of both species diversity (for both sharks and rays) and habitat diversity (from estuaries to the deep sea). Several of these studies represent the first records of life history parameters for a species, directly addressing the data that are lacking for many shark and ray species. The comparative nature of some of these studies, either between species or between locations, provides information vital for comprehensive understanding of species since life history traits may vary. Many of the studies are on commercially exploited species and provide information that will directly contribute to improved management of these species. Other studies are on less commonly caught species and contribute to the broader understanding of the ecology of sharks and rays and are valuable for the development of ecosystem-based management.
Life history research forms the basis for a broad range of other research that is important to the conservation and management of shark populations. It provides data inputs to stock assessments and ecological risk assessments, and forms the context for interpretation of genetic and behavioural studies. There is a critical need for ongoing life history research as data are lacking from the majority of shark and ray species. This research not only needs to document life history of poorly known species, but also develop techniques that address challenges of studying life history. These challenges include issues such as aging species with poorly calcified vertebrae (e.g. deepwater catsharks), enumerating the fecundity of oviparous species, and accounting for the under-estimation of age in older age-classes.
Marine and Freshwater Research has played a leading role in publishing articles describing research on sharks and rays and in dissemination of information expanding our knowledge of these animals. The ongoing commitment to publishing studies on life history of sharks and rays continues to provide an outlet for researchers skilled in this field and enables access to the highest quality science, which is continuously being used to improve conservation and management of members of this important and increasingly threatened group of aquatic predators.
References
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