Occurrence and habitat use of the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata in the Bahamas

Guttridge, T. L.; Gulak, S. J. B.; Franks, B. R.; Carlson, J. K.; Gruber, S. H.; Gledhill, K. S.; Bond, M. E.; Johnson, G.; Grubbs, R. D.

doi:10.1111/jfb.12825

i

Occurrence and habitat use of the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata in the Bahamas

Supporting Files

2015
By Guttridge, T. L. ; Gulak, S. J. B. ; Franks, B. R. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Journal of Fish Biology
Personal Author:

Guttridge, T. L. ; Gulak, S. J. B. ; Franks, B. R. ; Carlson, J. K. ; Gruber, S. H. ; Gledhill, K. S. ; Bond, M. E. ; Johnson, G. ; Grubbs, R. D.
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; SEFSC (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
Description:

This study documents and discusses recent (2002–2015) sightings and captures of smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata in the Bahamas. Movement patterns and habitat preferences of five P. pectinata are examined: two tracked with acoustic telemetry in Bimini and three tagged with pop‐up archival transmitting tags in Andros. Historically, P. pectinata may have been distributed throughout the Bahamas; however, since 2002 only 61 encounters were recorded including: Andros (30), Bimini (19) and a handful across other Islands (12). In Bimini, all P. pectinata were >225 cm (stretched total length, LST) suggesting that it is not used as a nursery area. Pristis pectinata in Andros ranged from c. 80 to 450 cm (LST) indicating that this island might be an important nursery and breeding habitat. Pristis pectinata tracked in both islands remained at depths <3 m, often adjacent to mangrove habitats, displaying residency from 42 days (Bimini) to 180 days (Andros). These preliminary findings confirm the Bahamas as an important habitat for P. pectinata and emphasize the urgent need for national protection and management of this population.
Keywords:

Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior And Systematics Ecology, Evolution, Behavior And Systematics Ecology, Evolution, Behavior And Systematics
Source:

Journal of Fish Biology, 87(6), 1322-1341
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12825
ISSN:

0022-1112 ; 1095-8649
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

Wiley
Document Type:

Journal Article
Rights Information:

Accepted Manuscript
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:26f9e0bfc1d9417f16b2d79a7812de0c3c6d10f5dfbea9957fafd70d35889f63076cc6973e428a5a5b1e7dead1d424dcd4242f70dd2404a506afb0a900354b66
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https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/63107/noaa_63107_DS1.pdf
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[PDF - 2.22 MB ]

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