Large-scale movements and site fidelity of two bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas estimated from a double-tagging experiment at Réunion Island (southwest Indian Ocean)

Type Article
Date 2021-01
Language English
Author(s) Soria MarcORCID1, Tremblay YannORCID1, Blaison AORCID1, Forget FabienORCID1, Crochelet EORCID2, Dagorn Laurent1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC), University of Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), l’Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer), Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD), Sète, France
2 : Agence de Recherche pour la Biodiversité à la Réunion (ARBRE), Saint Gilles, Réunion
Source African Journal Of Marine Science (1814-232X) (National Inquiry Services Center (NISC)), 2021-01 , Vol. 43 , N. 1 , P. 135-140
DOI 10.2989/1814232X.2021.1883736
WOS© Times Cited 2
Keyword(s) philopatry, pop-up satellite archival tags, residence time, shark-bite management, telemetry, western Indian Ocean
Abstract

Since 2011, the mean number of bites per year by bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas has increased markedly at Réunion Island. To predict areas and periods of increased risk, we need to better understand the space-use dynamics of individual sharks. In coastal waters off Réunion Island, two bull sharks, one of each sex, were double-tagged and tracked for 174 days (male) and 139 days (female) using pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) and acoustic transmitters. Both sharks spent most of their time inshore (58.1% for the male and 89.9% for the female). The female performed short excursions but typically remained inshore. The male alternated between spending residence time along the coast and undertaking wide-ranging movements, including one extensive open-ocean excursion to the vicinity of a seamount situated about 210 km from the island. Differences in the residency and home range between the two sharks probably reflect different patterns of foraging and mating behaviours. Our results highlight the advantages of double-tagging in telemetry studies that attempt to estimate the degree of habitat fidelity of a species and illustrate the need to consider the movement patterns of sharks at different scales when developing efficient risk-mitigation management.

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Soria Marc, Tremblay Yann, Blaison A, Forget Fabien, Crochelet E, Dagorn Laurent (2021). Large-scale movements and site fidelity of two bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas estimated from a double-tagging experiment at Réunion Island (southwest Indian Ocean). African Journal Of Marine Science, 43(1), 135-140. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2021.1883736 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00682/79404/