Residency and diel movements patterns of scalloped hammerhead sharks in Revillagigedo

Residency and diel movement patterns of the endangered scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini in the Revillagigedo National Park

Alejandro Aldana-Moreno, E. Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla, Rogelio González-Armas, Felipe Galván-Magaña, Alex Hearn, A. Peter Klimley, William Winram, Edgar Eduardo Becerril-García, James T. Ketchum

Journal of Fish Biology 2020, 1-6

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14239

Abstract

This study is the first description of the residency and diel movements of Sphyrna lewini at the Revillagigedo National Park, Mexico. Eleven adult scalloped hammerheads of total length 200–300 cm were monitored using acoustic telemetry during 2013–2015 at four sites at San Benedicto Island. Diel and residency patterns were described based on 58,055 detections by four autonomous receivers. The sharks displayed high daytime residency in two of the four sites, with movements away into the pelagic environment at night. This study generates a baseline for effective monitoring to improve the conservation and management of an iconic but endangered species at this marine reserve.

Keywords: Conservation, Eastern Tropical Pacific, Endangered species, Site fidelity, Telemetry