"In this assessment, common thresher sharks along the west coast of North America are assumed to be a single, well-mixed stock. This assumption is supported by their genetics, tagging data, and seasonal movements. The mitochondrial genetic sequences of common thresher sharks from California waters are not significantly different from Oregon-Washington waters but both are significantly different from other sampling locations, noting that there have not been any published comparisons with samples from Mexico. There is also no evidence of pupping and nursery grounds outside of the SCB. Tags from common thresher sharks tagged in the SCB have been returned from California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico. There is also unlikely to be substantial interchange of individuals between this stock and other common thresher shark stocks because the geographically closest stock is likely to be along the west coast of Chile"--Executive summary. [ ]

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

Pacific Coast (North America)