Blue shark (BSH)

Abstract

Here we present an updated and expanded analysis of factors impacting the catch rates and condition of several key shark species. It builds on the analyses of Bromhead et al. (2013) by including additional data and shark species / species groups, plus analyses of condition of sharks on retrieval and impact of hook position on catch rates. We used the same three fisheries defined in Bromhead et al. (2013) and added another fishery for US‐ flagged vessels fishing in American Samoa. The original intention was to also include the mako and hammerhead shark species groups, but these were excluded due to time constraints – these also had the least records across the four fisheries. Species/Species groups Oceanic whitetip (OCS) Silky shark (FAL