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| | Hammerhead sharks -- Fiji |
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| | The scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna Lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834) in inshore waters in the Fiji Islands Author: Brown, Kelly Thomas Institution: University of the South Pacific. Award: M.Sc. Marine Science Subject: Hammerhead sharks -- Fiji Date: 2014 Call No.: Pac QL 638 .95 .S7 B76 2014 BRN: 1204908 Copyright:Over 80% of this thesis may be copied without the authors written permission Abstract: The Scalloped Hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834), is a circumglobally distributed shark species that can found in habitats ranging from inshore waters to continental shelves. As with most present day sharks, S. lewini has a long life span, matures late in life and has low fecundity and natural mortality. These characteristics as well as their unique schooling behaviour have made them susceptible to overfishing, which has led to the species being listed as Endangered (EN) in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Thereatened Species, and a listing in Appendix II of the Convention of the International Trade of Flora and Fauna (CITES). Research and monitoring are required to better understand the biology and ecology of the species to ensure better management and /or conservation in specific areas. The Fiji Islands fall within the global distribution of S. lewini, however there is no further scientific information available on the species other than it has been sighted in Fiji waters. This research was conducted to add to the limited pool of data on S. lewini and other inshore sharks in the Fiji Islands, as it is an important species int he local and global shark fin trade.
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