Nation-wide assessment of the distribution and population size of the data-deficient nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)

The study presents the first national assessment of a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) population, conducted using a combination of transect surveys and baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs). Density of nurse sharks in Belize was found to be higher in reefs than in lagoons, and in the atolls f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2021-08, Vol.16 (8), p.e0256532
Main Authors: Garzon, Francesco, Graham, Rachel T, Baremore, Ivy, Castellanos, Dan, Salazar, Hilmar, Xiu, Cynthia, Seymour, Zeddy, Witt, Matthew J, Hawkes, Lucy A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Analysis
Animals
Atolls
Belize
Biology and Life Sciences
Conservation of Natural Resources
Coral reefs
Earth Sciences
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Environmental science
Fish populations
Fisheries
Fishing
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Ginglymostomatidae
Human settlements
Laboratories
Lagoons
Land degradation
Legislation
Medicine and Health Sciences
People and Places
Polls & surveys
Population
Population biology
Population Density
Population number
Protected areas
Regions
Sharks
Sharks - physiology
Tourism
Trends
Underwater
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:The study presents the first national assessment of a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) population, conducted using a combination of transect surveys and baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs). Density of nurse sharks in Belize was found to be higher in reefs than in lagoons, and in the atolls furthest away from the mainland and human settlements. Only large and old protected areas were found to have a positive impact on nurse shark abundance. Absolute abundance of nurse sharks was estimated using distance sampling analysis, giving a total nurse shark population in the range of 3,858 to 14,375 sharks. Thanks to a vast area of suitable habitat for nurse sharks in the country and legislation already in place for the safeguard of the species, Belize could represent an important hotspot for nurse sharks in the Western Atlantic. The data presented here hence offers a baseline for the long-term monitoring of the Belizean nurse shark population and improves our understanding of nurse shark abundance and distribution in the wider Caribbean basin.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0256532