Identification of Vulnerable Species and Biological of Sharks from the Indian Ocean (SEASTAR2000)

Abstract

Many species of sharks contributing to the most important shark fisheries of the world inhabit the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia waters. Extensive data collecting from various fish landing sites in south- eastern Indonesia was conducted from April 2001 to March 2006 using market survey methods. The aim of this study was to identify the species of sharks from shark fisheries and observe their biological aspects. The results showed that there were 86 species of sharks identified, belonging to 21 families. Several species were categorized as vulnerable, such as: Centrophorus squamosus (Centrophoridae), Isurus paucus, Isurus oxyrhinchus (Lamnidae), Charcharias taurus (Odontaspididae), and Carcharhinus longimanus (Carcharhinidae). Sharks are usually caught by long lines and gillnets. The biological aspects including size range of each species, sex maturity stage, sex ratio, and fishery aspects were described as well.