Centrophorus cf. uyato (Australian subpopulation)

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	SQUALIFORMES	CENTROPHORIDAE

Scientific Name:

Centrophorus cf. uyato (Australian subpopulation)

Species Authority:

(Rafinesque, 1810)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Little Gulper Shark, Southern Dogfish

Taxonomic Notes:

The taxonomy of C. uyato has not been adequately resolved and the Australian subpopulation may be distinct from subpopulations outside of Australia (J. Stevens, pers. comm., March 2003, Daley et al. 2002).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered A2bd+3d+4bd ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2003
Assessor/s	Pogonoski, J. & Pollard, D. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003)
Evaluator/s:	Cavanagh, R.D., McAuley, R. (Shark Red List Authority) & Graham, K.
Justification: Declines of over 99% between the years 1976–77 and 1996–97 between the Sydney area (central New South Wales) and the Eden-Gabo Island area (southern New South Wales/northern Victoria) have been documented by a fishery independent trawl survey. The relatively narrow continental slope habitat of this species (which is fished throughout its entire depth range) suggests that it may now only be present in any numbers in areas that are non-trawlable. However, as dropline fishers also harvest this species off New South Wales (under NSW jurisdiction), further pressure may be placed on it in such areas. There was a small, short-lived fishery out of Esperance, Western Australia for C. uyato in the mid-1990s, which ceased due to rapid catch declines and there may be some bycatch in the Western Australia Commonwealth-managed trawl fishery. As with other deepwater sharks, particularly this genus, the low fecundity, high longevity and probable late age at first maturity of this species not only result in extremely rapid population depletion in fisheries, but also prevent it from quick recovery after such depletion.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Australian subpopulations are documented as being from Esperance to Geraldton (WA) and Fowlers Bay (SA) to Port Stephens (NSW), including Tasmania (Last and Stevens 1994), but further study of this distribution is necessary given the taxonomic problems in this genus (J. Stevens, CSIRO, pers. comm. March 2003, Daley et al. 2002).
Countries:	Native: Australia (New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – southwest

Population [top]

Population:	The population size (although suspected to be much reduced) and number and size of subpopulations are unknown.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Demersal on the continental shelf and upper-middle continental slope in depths of 50 to 1,400 m. In Australia, main depth range is 400 to 650 m (Last and Stevens 1994), but has been recorded from 220 to 740 m (Graham et al. 1997). Ovoviviparous, usually producing one pup. The diet consists of bony fishes and cephalopods (Last and Stevens 1994), but also includes crustaceans (Daley et al. 2002). Length at first maturity is 80 cm for males (Last and Stevens 1994) and 100 cm for females (Daley et al. 2002). Size at birth is 35 to 45 cm (Last and Stevens 1994, Daley et al. 2002). Preliminary ageing studies by Fenton (2001) suggest that C. uyato lives to at least 46 years of age (n = 8). The low fecundity, high longevity and probable late age at first maturity of this species prevent it from quick recovery after sustained fishing of its populations in the last 20 to 30 years (Graham et al. 2001, Daley et al. 2002).
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Demersal on the continental shelf and upper-middle continental slope in depths of 50 to 1,400 m. In Australia, main depth range is 400 to 650 m (Last and Stevens 1994), but has been recorded from 220 to 740 m (Graham et al. 1997). Ovoviviparous, usually producing one pup. The diet consists of bony fishes and cephalopods (Last and Stevens 1994), but also includes crustaceans (Daley et al. 2002). Length at first maturity is 80 cm for males (Last and Stevens 1994) and 100 cm for females (Daley et al. 2002). Size at birth is 35 to 45 cm (Last and Stevens 1994, Daley et al. 2002). Preliminary ageing studies by Fenton (2001) suggest that C. uyato lives to at least 46 years of age (n = 8). The low fecundity, high longevity and probable late age at first maturity of this species prevent it from quick recovery after sustained fishing of its populations in the last 20 to 30 years (Graham et al. 2001, Daley et al. 2002).

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	1) Targeted fishing using deep set gillnets off South Australia and eastern Victoria in the Southern Shark Fishery. This targeting had all but ceased by 1995 because of declining catches. (Daley et al. 2002). 2) Demersal trawling (South East Trawl Fishery, SETF) in NSW and eastern Vic. (Daley et al. 2002). Declines of over 99% have been documented between the years 1976-77 and 1996-97 between the Sydney area (central NSW) and the Eden-Gabo I. area (southern NSW / northern Victoria) by the trawl research vessel Kapala (fishery independent survey) (Graham et al. 1997, Graham et al. 2001, Andrew et al. 1997). Catches in the abovementioned areas in 220-605 m (i.e., most of the preferred depth range of this species) declined from a mean of 106.9 kg/h in 1976-77 to a mean of 0.3 kg/h (a total of only 14 specimens) in 1996-97. 3) Droplining (under NSW Fisheries jurisdiction) along the continental slope within its range (although catches are relatively minor). 4) Previously targeted by gillnetting in WA shark fishery (1996-1999). Fishery has since ceased: according to fishers, catch rates began to decline dramatically after 2-3 years (R. McAuley WA Fisheries pers. comm. March 2003). Centrophorus dogfishes are marketed for their flesh and liver oil (squalene) (Daley et al. 2002).

Major Threat(s):

1) Targeted fishing using deep set gillnets off South Australia and eastern Victoria in the Southern Shark Fishery. This targeting had all but ceased by 1995 because of declining catches. (Daley et al. 2002).

2) Demersal trawling (South East Trawl Fishery, SETF) in NSW and eastern Vic. (Daley et al. 2002). Declines of over 99% have been documented between the years 1976-77 and 1996-97 between the Sydney area (central NSW) and the Eden-Gabo I. area (southern NSW / northern Victoria) by the trawl research vessel Kapala (fishery independent survey) (Graham et al. 1997, Graham et al. 2001, Andrew et al. 1997). Catches in the abovementioned areas in 220-605 m (i.e., most of the preferred depth range of this species) declined from a mean of 106.9 kg/h in 1976-77 to a mean of 0.3 kg/h (a total of only 14 specimens) in 1996-97.

3) Droplining (under NSW Fisheries jurisdiction) along the continental slope within its range (although catches are relatively minor).

4) Previously targeted by gillnetting in WA shark fishery (1996-1999). Fishery has since ceased: according to fishers, catch rates began to decline dramatically after 2-3 years (R. McAuley WA Fisheries pers. comm. March 2003).

Centrophorus dogfishes are marketed for their flesh and liver oil (squalene) (Daley et al. 2002).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Recent (Jan 2003) management changes to the SETF by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority limit the combined catch of Centrophorus dogfishes to a maximum of 150kg trunked weight per trip. In addition, livers of Centrophorus are not to be retained unless the individual carcasses from which they were obtained are also landed (J. Stevens, CSIRO, pers. comm. March 2003). Centrophorus uyato has also been nominated for listing as a Vulnerable species on the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). If listed as Vulnerable, the EPBC Act requires that a Recovery Plan be put in place within a five-year period (Sara Williams, Environment Australia, pers. comm. March 2003).

Conservation Actions:

Recent (Jan 2003) management changes to the SETF by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority limit the combined catch of Centrophorus dogfishes to a maximum of 150kg trunked weight per trip. In addition, livers of Centrophorus are not to be retained unless the individual carcasses from which they were obtained are also landed (J. Stevens, CSIRO, pers. comm. March 2003).

Centrophorus uyato has also been nominated for listing as a Vulnerable species on the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). If listed as Vulnerable, the EPBC Act requires that a Recovery Plan be put in place within a five-year period (Sara Williams, Environment Australia, pers. comm. March 2003).

Citation:	Pogonoski, J. & Pollard, D. 2003. Centrophorus cf. uyato (Australian subpopulation). In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 08 January 2009.
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