For Tuesday’s addition of our “Shark Week Endangered Species
List” let’s take a look at the Daggernose shark. This animal is said to
congregate in the warm coastal waters off South America, namely Brazil,
Venezuela, and Trinidad. The Daggernose, like many other species of shark, is
slow to mature and has few pups. Female sharks mature at around 6-7 years and
can be pregnant for up to 12 months. Because they do not breed annually, the
risk for severe population depletion is great.
Like
many endangered sharks, the Daggernose’ biggest threat is artisanal fisheries
and the use of gillnets. These sharks tend to get caught in floating gillnets
that are targeting mackerel and King Weakfish. Due to their slow reproduction rate,
such high fishing pressure spells disaster for the population and indicates a
high risk for extinction. The IUCN recommends the monitoring of fishing vessels
that use gillnets in the area, and the release of live sharks that are
captured. The website also suggests that the Daggernose be added to the
Brazilian National list of Endangered Species. Restrictions being placed on the
number of sharks that can be caught and enforcement of these rules would help
aid in the conservation of this species.
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