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Population biology and ageing of the deep water sharks Galeus melastomus, Centroselachus crepidater and Apristurus aphyodes from the Rockall Trough, north-east Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2013

D.M. Moore ,
F.C. Neat  and
I.D. McCarthy
D.M. Moore
Affiliation:
School of Ocean Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK
F.C. Neat
Affiliation:
Marine Scotland, Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101, 375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB, UK
I.D. McCarthy*
Affiliation:
School of Ocean Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: I.D. McCarthy, School of Ocean Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study presents new information on the population biology, growth and maturation schedules of Galeus melastomus, Centroselachus crepidater and Apristurus aphyodes sampled from the Rockall Trough, a region where deep sea fishing activity has been prevalent for the past 40 years and where shark by-catch is considerable. Both G. melastomus and C. crepidater showed significant sexual size dimorphism with females attaining a greater length and mass. The size (L50) at first maturity was estimated to be 55.6 cm total length (TL) for males and 59.7 cm TL for females in G. melastomus, 57.2 cm TL for males and 75.4 cm TL for females in C. crepidater and 49.0 cm TL for males and 56.9 cm TL for females in A. aphyodes. This represents the first TL50 analysis for Apristurus aphyodes globally. Sharks were aged using a technique which employed cobalt (II) nitrate to stain growth bands in vertebra centra. Band pairs were successfully viewed in G. melastomus and pair counts ranged from 0 to 5 in males and 2 to 7 in females. A higher asymptotic length was deduced from the von Bertalanffy growth equation for females than males (females: L∞ = 69.3 cm; males: L∞ = 60.8 cm) in G. melastomus. Staining was unsuccessful in C. crepidater and A. aphyodes and age could not be determined using this technique.

Keywords

Rockall TroughageingTL50von Bertalanffy
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Issue 7 , November 2013 , pp. 1941 - 1950
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

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