Young Hammerhead Shark's Route May Help Shark Protection
17 December 2014 11:02 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Latest study published on the Animal Biotelemetry journal says that the journey of a young hammerhead shark across the Gulf of California for 10.5 months shows that the almost-extinct mammals often swam outside of the protected areas.
“The maps of the sharks' wanderings could help conservationists develop plans to protect the vulnerable species,” Livescience wrote.
Researchers managed to tag three young hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in gulf by hitch-riding local fishermen boat. The tags did not transmit the information to satelite and therefore, researchers had to find the sharks to collect data.
Lead researcher Mauricio Hoyos, who works with Pelagios Kakunjá, a marine conservation nonprofit, said to Livescience that the findings are important since there is not much known about the migratory movements of young hammerhead sharks.
Hoyos believes that the young shark's route may help researchers design future management plans to protect hammerheads. Increased human fishing, fueled by the global demand for shark and ray fins for shark-fin soup, has reduced hammerhead numbers to a negligible size in the Gulf of California, he said.
In Mexico, commercial fishing from large vessels is prohibited within 50 nautical miles of the coast. But, based on the female hammerhead's coastal and offshore-swimming routes, it is clear that young hammerhead sharks need more protection, the researchers said.
LIVESCIENCE | AMRI MAHBUB