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Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Filling gaps in the biology and habitat use of two spurdog sharks (Squalus japonicus and Squalus brevirostris) in the East China Sea

Toshikazu Yano https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5866-7444 A C , Seiji Ohshimo B , Takeshi Sakai B and Mari Yoda B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A National Fisheries University, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-7-1 Nagata-honmachi, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi 759-6595, Japan.

B Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1551-8 Taira-machi, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 851-2213, Japan.

C Corresponding author. Email: tskzyn@fish-u.ac.jp

Marine and Freshwater Research 71(12) 1719-1731 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF19131
Submitted: 13 April 2019  Accepted: 24 February 2020   Published: 24 March 2020

Abstract

The conservation and management of sharks requires appropriate information on their biological and habitat characteristics. Data needed for the conservation and management of two dominant demersal shark species in the East China Sea, the spurdogs (Squalus japonicus and Squalus brevirostris), are inadequate. To remedy this, we analysed biological, catch and abiotic data from bottom trawl surveys conducted in 2000–05 and 2008–14 from within the East China Sea. The precaudal length of male and female S. japonicus at 50% sexual maturity was 396.1 and 459.9 mm respectively, whereas for S. brevirostris it was 289.6 and 354.9 mm respectively. Prey overlap was high between species, with lanternfishes the most important prey. The fractional trophic level was 4.33 for S. japonicus and 4.31 for S. brevirostris. We estimated spurdog habitat using a generalised additive model. Depth affected the presence of both sharks, with latitude also affecting the presence of S. brevirostris. These two spurdog species were spatially segregated over the continental slope, and body-length and sex-ratio distributions suggested that there was a maturity-based segregation within and among species. The results of this study improve our understanding of the population dynamics of these spurdog species, their reproduction and diet, fundamental information required for their conservation and for improved fisheries management.

Additional keywords: habitat model, Japanese shortnose spurdog, Japanese spurdog, mating season, stable isotopes.


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