Early Life-History Implications of Selected Carcharhinoid and Lamnoid Sharks of the Northwest Atlantic

Authors

Steven Branstetter, Virginia Institute of Marine ScienceFollow

Files

Document Type

Book Chapter

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Editors

Harold L. Pratt, Jr.

Samuel H. Gruber

Toru Taniuchi

Publication Date

8-1990

Book Title

Elasmobranchs as Living Resources: Advances in the Biology, Ecology, Systematics, and the Status of the Fisheries

Publisher

U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service

Series

NOAA Technical Report NMFS 90

Abstract

The size of most newborn sharks makes them susceptible to predation from their own kind and other large fishes. In the northwestern Atlantic, juvenile nursery grounds can be generally classified according to whether or not the young are exposed to such predatory risk. Several related factors-breeding frequency, litter size, size at birth, early growth rate-may help offset early natural mortality. These factors are counterbalanced by the different species in several different ways, producing numerous early life history strategies. In general, slow growing species are either born at relatively large sizes or use protected nursery grounds, whereas faster growing species tend to rely more on growth rates than the other factors.

Keywords

Shark populations, shark life history

Recommended Citation

Branstetter, Steven, "Early Life-History Implications of Selected Carcharhinoid and Lamnoid Sharks of the Northwest Atlantic" (1990). VIMS Books and Book Chapters. 40.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/40