Estimating the value of tropical coastal wetland habitats to fisheries: caveats and assumptions

Habitat valuation can provide an objective basis for the prioritisation of conservation and restoration actions. The attribution of fisheries production to particular habitat units is an important measure of value, but is difficult to estimate. Using the case study of habitat use by juvenile banana prawns in a tropical estuary, we assessed the potential to produce valid value estimates at two spatio-conceptual scales: estuary reach and whole estuary. Additionally, we also explore the potential to produce meaningful value estimates at the scale of whole estuary contribution to the offshore fisheries stock. A diversity of potential and actual sources of error and logical problems means that quantification at any scale is at best of uncertain validity and produces estimates that are likely to produce unreliable results if treated as quantitative inputs to production models. Estimates for the whole estuary were the most viable, although still requiring substantial assumptions that may or may not be reasonable in particular situations. Estimates for individual habitats required the unreasonable assumption of limited prawn movement, while estimates of contribution of an estuary to the fishery required difficult-to-obtain and usually unavailable information. Because low occupancy habitats can have trophic value, we also used stable isotope analysis to assess the importance of mangroves and saltmarshes to prawn nutrition. No particular habitat was of critical trophic importance, again suggesting that the habitat-production link is most usefully assessed at the whole-of-estuary scale. While valuable and required to support targeted ecosystem management and protection and restoration efforts, valid estimates of the contribution of particular units to fisheries are likely to be unachievable in many situations

Residency and Spatial Use by Reef Sharks of an Isolated Seamount and Its Implications for Conservation

Although marine protected areas (MPAs) are a common conservation strategy, these areas are often designed with little prior knowledge of the spatial behaviour of the species they are designed to protect. Currently, the Coral Sea area and its seamounts (north-east Australia) are under review to determine if MPAs are warranted. The protection of sharks at these seamounts should be an integral component of conservation plans. Therefore, knowledge on the spatial ecology of sharks at the Coral Sea seamounts is essential for the appropriate implementation of management and conservation plans. Acoustic telemetry was used to determine residency, site fidelity and spatial use of three shark species at Osprey Reef: whitetip reef sharks Triaenodon obesus, grey reef sharks Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and silvertip sharks Carcharhinus albimarginatus. Most individuals showed year round residency at Osprey Reef, although five of the 49 individuals tagged moved to the neighbouring Shark Reef (∼14 km away) and one grey reef shark completed a round trip of ∼250 km to the Great Barrier Reef. Additionally, individuals of white tip and grey reef sharks showed strong site fidelity to the areas they were tagged, and there was low spatial overlap between groups of sharks tagged at different locations. Spatial use at Osprey Reef by adult sharks is generally restricted to the north-west corner. The high residency and limited spatial use of Osprey Reef suggests that reef sharks would be highly vulnerable to targeted fishing pressure and that MPAs incorporating no-take of sharks would be effective in protecting reef shark populations at Osprey and Shark Reef

A global perspective on the trophic geography of sharks

Carbon isotopic analysis reveals global biogeographic traits in shark trophic interactions, and sheds light on the diverse foraging behaviour of sharks

Fine-Scale Movements of the Broadnose Sevengill Shark and Its Main Prey, the Gummy Shark

Information on the fine-scale movement of predators and their prey is important to interpret foraging behaviours and activity patterns. An understanding of these behaviours will help determine predator-prey relationships and their effects on community dynamics. For instance understanding a predator's movement behaviour may alter pre determined expectations of prey behaviour, as almost any aspect of the prey's decisions from foraging to mating can be influenced by the risk of predation. Acoustic telemetry was used to study the fine-scale movement patterns of the Broadnose Sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus and its main prey, the Gummy shark Mustelus antarcticus, in a coastal bay of southeast Tasmania. Notorynchus cepedianus displayed distinct diel differences in activity patterns. During the day they stayed close to the substrate (sea floor) and were frequently inactive. At night, however, their swimming behaviour continually oscillated through the water column from the substrate to near surface. In contrast, M. antarcticus remained close to the substrate for the entire diel cycle, and showed similar movement patterns for day and night. For both species, the possibility that movement is related to foraging behaviour is discussed. For M. antarcticus, movement may possibly be linked to a diet of predominantly slow benthic prey. On several occasions, N. cepedianus carried out a sequence of burst speed events (increased rates of movement) that could be related to chasing prey. All burst speed events during the day were across the substrate, while at night these occurred in the water column. Overall, diel differences in water column use, along with the presence of oscillatory behaviour and burst speed events suggest that N. cepedianus are nocturnal foragers, but may opportunistically attack prey they happen to encounter during the day

Intrapopulation variations in diet and habitat use in a marine apex predator, the broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus

Intrapopulation differences in diet and/or movement are important for understanding the role mobile predators play in different systems. However, ecological studies traditionally overlook individual differences. δ13C and δ15N were used in conjunction with diet and movement information to identify intrapopulation differences in diet and movement patterns of the apex predator broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus in southeast Tasmania. Sevengill samples from 3 inshore and 3 offshore sites were collected, and δ13C and δ15N compared between sites, sizes and sexes. Individuals captured offshore had lower δ15N than those captured inshore, indicating some degree of spatial segregation. Sevengills also had variable δ13C and δ15N within coastal habitats, suggesting intrapopulation differences in diet or migration schedules. In comparison to their main prey, most individuals had δ15N lower than expected for a top predator, also suggesting that they do not reside permanently in these areas, as their tissue was not in isotopic equilibrium with their known prey. This is in agreement with tracking data that showed seasonal use of coastal areas, with most animals leaving for the colder months but returning the following year. There was also a group of females with relatively high δ13C that suggests greater association to coastal habitats, again in agreement with tracking data, as some tagged females remained in the coastal areas over winter. Overall, together with diet and tracking information, results indicate that there are differences in movement and possibly diet in this sevengill population. This multi-methods approach allowed a better understanding of sevengill ecology than the use of any one of the techniques alone

You are what you eat: examining the effects of provisioning tourism on shark diets

Wildlife tourism is a growing industry, with significant conservation and socio-economic benefits. Concerns have however been raised about the possible impacts of this industry on the long-term behaviour, health and fitness of the animal species tourists come to see (the target species), particularly when those species are regularly fed to improve the tourism experience. Information on the contribution of food rewards to the diet of the target species at feeding sites is critical to assess the dependency on handouts and to identify possible health/fitness problems that might be associated, if handouts become the main part of animals' diets. Here, we use stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) to evaluate the importance of handouts for a marine predator, the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), at a feeding site (Fiji) where shark feeds occur 5 days/week and sharks (up to 75 individuals/dive) are fed ~200 kg of tuna heads/day. There was no evidence of incorporation of food provided, even for individuals that regularly consume food rewards. Results, when combined with those from previous studies on bull shark movements and feeding rates at our study site, show that current levels of provisioning likely have no long-term impacts on bull shark diet or behaviour. This study also demonstrates the applicability of stable isotope analysis to assess and monitor the contribution of food rewards to wildlife, and highlights the benefits of using multi-sources of information to gain a holistic understanding of the effects of provisioning predators

Variation in depth of whitetip reef sharks: does provisioning ecotourism change their behaviour?

In the dive tourism industry, shark provisioning has become increasingly popular in many places around the world. It is therefore important to determine the impacts that provisioning may have on shark behaviour. In this study, eight adult whitetip reef sharks Triaenodon obesus were tagged with time-depth recorders at Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea, Australia. Tags collected time and depth data every 30 s. The absolute change in depth over 5-min blocks was considered as a proxy for vertical activity level. Daily variations in vertical activity levels were analysed to determine the effects of time of day on whitetip reef shark behaviour. This was done for days when dive boats were absent from the area, and for days when dive boats were present, conducting shark provisioning. Vertical activity levels varied between day and night, and with the presence of boats. In natural conditions (no boats present), sharks remained at more constant depths during the day, while at night animals continuously moved up and down the water column, showing that whitetip reef sharks are nocturnally active. When boats were present, however, there were also long periods of vertical activity during the day. If resting periods during the day are important for energy budgets, then shark provisioning may affect their health. So, if this behaviour alteration occurs frequently, e.g., daily, this has the potential to have significant negative effects on the animals' metabolic rates, net energy gain and overall health, reproduction and fitness

Site fidelity and sex-specific migration in a mobile apex predator : implications for conservation and ecosystem dynamics

Combining movement behaviour with other ecological information of predators and their prey is essential for an adequate understanding of ecosystem dynamics. The movement patterns of broadnose sevengill sharks, Notorynchus cepedianus, were monitored with acoustic and satellite technology in coastal areas of southeast Tasmania, Australia. Individuals were tagged in two habitats (Norfolk Bay and the Derwent Estuary) for which we had ecological information such as diet, population structure and abundance. Notorynchus cepedianus showed seasonal site fidelity in the use of the coastal habitats. The general pattern was for sharks to exit coastal areas over winter and females to return the following spring and males in summer. Their movement into these coastal areas coincided with high seasonal abundance of their known prey species during summer, suggesting feeding site fidelity. Individuals tagged in two coastal areas showed low spatial and dietary overlap, suggesting localized site fidelity and fine spatial scale resource partitioning. This has rarely been reported for large mobile predators. Both satellite and acoustic methods showed that males make northerly migrations during winter to distances of at least 1000 km. The combined use of tracking, diet and abundance information demonstrated that N. cepedianus are likely to exert significant predation pressure on prey inhabiting these areas during summer. Overall, this study highlights the benefit of complementing movement data with other ecological information to understand the habitat use of large mobile predators and their potential influences on ecosystem structure and function

Encounter rates of each shark species at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve.

<p>Encounter rates of each shark species at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve.</p