Fig 3 - uploaded by Nicolas Acuña-Perales
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Megachasma pelagios individuals (MP-6 and MP-7) from Mancora bycaught by small-scale net fisheries: a Anterior lateral view of MP-6 showing the white band on the upper jaw and with nets entangled in its mouth, b ventral view of MP-6 with nets entangled by a side in its mouth. c-d Lateral views of MP-7 showing entangled nets by its mouth
Source publication
Between October 2018 and October 2019, seven megamouth sharks were reported as bycatch in the small-scale surface and midwater gillnet fisheries operating from the ports of Mancora and Salaverry in northern Peru. Here we present details of these specimens and bycatch events that represent the first documented records of this species in Peruvian wat...
Citations
... However, it has become clear that this species is more common than previously thought in recent years. In fact, to date, new records extending its geographic range continue to surface [4][5][6][7][8]. ...
... In addition, recent M. pelagios landing records were also found in different public sources or published papers, but these data are very scattered and incomplete and need to be integrated [7,8]. There were many unpublished data or unreleased information that needed to be included; for example, numerous individuals were recorded by the mandatory catch and report system of the Taiwan Fisheries Agency, and some individuals were recorded by the Japanese Society for Elasmobranch Studies in Japanese. ...
The megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) is one of the rarest shark species in the three oceans, and its biological and fishery information is still very limited. A total of 261 landing/stranding records were examined, including 132 females, 87 males, and 42 sex unknown individuals, to provide the most detailed information on global megamouth shark records, and the spatial–temporal distribution of M. pelagios was inferenced from these records. The vertical distribution of M. pelagios ranged 0–1203 m in depth, and immature individuals were mostly found in the waters shallower than 200 m. Mature individuals are not only able to dive deeper, but also move to higher latitude waters. The majority of M. pelagios are found in the western North Pacific Ocean (>5° N). The Indian and Atlantic Oceans are the potential nursery areas for this species, immature individuals are mainly found in Indonesia and Philippine waters. Large individuals tend to move towards higher latitude waters (>15° N) for foraging and growth from April to August. Sexual segregation of M. pelagios is found, females tend to move to higher latitude waters (>30° N) in the western North Pacific Ocean, but males may move across the North Pacific Ocean.
