Discovering what Shark Species Inhabit the Waters of Puerto Rico.

Shark research in Puerto Rico has been very limited. Little is known about how many different species inhabit our waters and what is their distribution. Because of the lack of knowledge and information, fishing management by species is extremely poor. State law only prohibits the fishing of the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), a common species in Puerto Rico that most fishermen can accurately identify, but it does not specify anything else about other species. The aim of this investigation is to create a database of the species that can be found on the island by visiting fishing villas around the coast of Puerto Rico, starting out with the north coast. Data includes: species, total length, fork length, weight, sex, life stage (mature, immature), an approximate of where was it caught, what fishing art was used, and was the catch intentional or opportunistic. Forty-eight percent (48%) of the examined individuals were identified as scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini), which is classified as endangered for the eastern Atlantic and threaten for the central Atlantic under the Endangered Species Act. Forty-two percent (42%) of the S. lewini identified were males and 57% were females. The total length for this species ranged from 57.0 to 97.0 cm with weight ranging from 1.04 to 4.85 kg. All of the individuals were classified as immature and the fishermen described their catch as opportunistic. This results show that this area may potentially serve as a nursery ground for this species. In addition, eight other species have been identified and were also classified as opportunistic catches by the fishermen. Eighty-six percent (86%) of the individuals were identified as immature. The data collected is used to delineate a management plan for better conservation efforts and for educational purposes to fishermen and the community. Future projects will include on-site mark-recapture analysis for a more ample representation of the shark population in Puerto Rico.