[SEMCO] New Shark Guide

[Sheri DeRosa]

Shark guide probes uncharted waters

NARRAGANSETT--While a lone fin gliding at the surface of the water is 
enough to clear swimming areas and rates T.V. news coverage, sharks have 
more to fear from humans than vice versa. Along with other highly 
migratory species-tunas and billfishes-shark populations have been 
depleted partly by overfishing and partly by natural factors. Saving 
these economically valuable fishes is important but not simple, since 
they cover thousands of miles of ocean territory in search of food.

Difficulties in identifying these creatures for stock assessment and for 
understanding biological and behavioral characteristics prompted the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and Rhode Island Sea 
Grant to produce a 124-page guide that will help users distinguish among 
44 highly migratory species that inhabit the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of 
Mexico.

According to author Margo Schulze-Haugen, NOAA Fisheries fishery 
management specialist, the Guide to Sharks, Tunas & Billfishes of the 
U.S. Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico "is different from previous guides 
because it focuses on how to identify species while the fish is still in 
the water.  Many guides rely on internal characteristics (which require 
that the fish be dead) or counting of body parts (which require that the 
fish be on board the vessel for some period of time), in addition to 
external characteristics. The intent with our emphasis on external 
characteristics (seen often very quickly as the fish swims around) is to 
increase species-specific identifications without associated mortality."

In order to focus on external characteristics, the 
authors--Schulze-Haugen, Tony Corey, Rhode Island Sea Grant 
communicator, and Nancy Kohler, Apex Predators Program chief, NOAA 
Fisheries Narragansett Laboratory--decided to use photographs to aid in 
identification.

Corey says that "Photos are hard to come by. These animals are protected 
because they're rare or sparsely reported or poorly understood. So, our 
major challenge was tracking down photos sharp and distinctive enough to 
allow people to compare what they see in the book to what they see in 
the water." 

In addition to the photographs, the guide offers at-a-glance physical 
descriptions, habitat and distribution information, side-by-side 
comparisons of similar species, and information about reducing the risk 
of shark attack. Species-specific experts have reviewed the content for 
accuracy.

The Guide to Sharks, Tunas & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic & Gulf of 
Mexico is $25 plus $3 for U.S. shipping and handling. For more 
information or to order, please contact Jean Gallo at (401) 874-6842.

Rhode Island Sea Grant is a federal-state partnership, based at the 
University of Rhode Island, that promotes the conservation and 
sustainable development of marine resources for the public benefit 
through research, outreach, and education. 

###

 

_________________________
Monica Allard Cox
Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program
URI Graduate School of Oceanography
Narragansett, RI 02882

Tel: (401) 874-6937
Fax: (401) 874-6817
Web: http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu <http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.whoi.edu/pipermail/semco/attachments/20040217/3101e83d/attachment.htm