Year
2021
Season
Spring
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (MS)
Department
Biology
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. Department of Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Jim Gelsleichter
Second Advisor
Dr. Bryan Franks
Rights Statement
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Third Advisor
Dr. Adam Rosenblatt
Abstract
The scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) worldwide population has been in sharp decline, and they are currently listed as a globally critically endangered species by the IUCN. This warrants a need to identify and protect critical habitats for the species, such as nurseries, which promote stable populations. A section of the Tolomato River, in northeastern Florida, has shown to host large and consistent numbers of young of year scalloped hammerhead sharks. This gave cause to determine whether this portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) serves as a nursery habitat for the species and to understand how the sharks used the area. To declare the Tolomato River as a nursery habitat, three criteria needed to be met: the species were more commonly found in the Tolomato River as opposed to other sites, individual sharks stayed in the area for long periods of time (weeks or months), and the species used the habitat repeatedly across years. To address these criteria, a catch composition analysis, habitat preference study, mark-recapture analysis, and acoustic tracking were conducted. The results from these studies indicated that scalloped hammerhead neonates have a preference for the Tolomato River compared to other nearby estuaries. They additionally showed that individual scalloped hammerhead sharks are using the habitat for extended periods of time and the species utilizes the Tolomato River annually. These results indicate that the Tolomato River serves as a nursery habitat for the scalloped hammerhead shark. Due to the established importance of nursery habitats to the welfare of shark populations, the identification of nurseries is often required in various management plans. Thus, data from this project contributes to the management of the scalloped hammerhead shark, a species in need of protection.
Suggested Citation
Wargat, Bryanna N., "Characterization of a scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) nursery habitat in portions of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway" (2021). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1024.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/1024