Academic literature on the topic 'Pupping areas'

Abstract Knowledge about reproductive movements can be of important conservation value for over-exploited species that are vulnerable when moving between and within key reproductive habitats. Lack of knowledge persists around such movements in the overfished school shark Galeorhinus galeus in Australia. Management assumes all pregnant females migrate between adult aggregations in the Great Australian Bight, South Australia, and nursery areas around Bass Strait and Tasmania. We tracked 14 late-term pregnant females tagged in South Australia using satellite-linked pop-up archival tags to investigate extent, timing, and routes of migrations. We found partial migration, with some females (n = 7) remaining near aggregating areas throughout the pupping season, some migrating to known nursery areas (n = 3), and one migrating ∼3 000 km to New Zealand. We conclude female movements and pupping habitats are less spatially constrained than assumed and propose females use cool-water routes along the shelf break to reduce energy costs of migration. Migrating females using these routes faced greater fishing pressure than sharks in inshore areas and were not protected by inshore shark fishing closures designed to protect them. This study demonstrates the complexity of reproductive movements that can occur in wide-ranging species and highlights the value of explicit movement data.

Understanding space use and movement behavior can benefit conservation and management of species by identifying areas of high importance. However, this can be challenging for highly mobile species, especially those which use a wide range of habitats across ontogeny. The Bahamas is hypothesized to be an important area for tiger sharks, but the utility of the area for this species within the broader western North Atlantic is not fully understood. Therefore, we assessed (1) whether the area near Bimini serves as an important pupping location for tiger sharks, (2) their level of residency and site fidelity to the area, and (3) regional dispersal across ontogeny. Frequent captures of young-of-year tiger sharks, as well as ultrasonography showing near-term and recently postpartum females supports the hypothesis that pupping occurs in the area. However, small juveniles had low overall recapture rates and sparse acoustic detections near Bimini, indicating they do not reside in the area for long or may suffer high natural mortality. Large juvenile and sexually mature tiger sharks had higher overall local residency, which increased during cooler water winter months. The probability of dispersal from Bimini increased for larger individuals. Repeated, long-term site fidelity was displayed by some mature females, with several returning to Bimini across multiple years. Satellite tracking showed that tiger sharks extensively used areas outside of The Bahamas, including traveling more than 12,000 km. Together, these results show that Bimini is an important area for tiger sharks, serving as a pupping ground, rather than a nursery ground, a finding which could be incorporated into future conservation and management efforts.

Two seal species breed on the west coast of South Australia, the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, and the New Zealand fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri. Aerial surveys were conducted at intervals of ~3 months between April 1995 and June 1997 to determine the breeding status of sea lions and timing of pupping seasons. Ground surveys between October 1994 and April 2004 aimed at counting sea lions and fur seals, particularly pups. In all, 27 sites were examined. Six new sea lion breeding colonies were documented, at Four Hummocks, Price, North Rocky, Dorothee, West Waldegrave and Nicolas Baudin Islands. All were found or confirmed by ground survey. Pup numbers were equivalent to 12% of the total number of pups estimated in surveys conducted from 1987 to 1992, but primarily in 1990. The sighting of brown pups on aerial surveys of Ward Island, Middle and Western Nuyts Reef supports earlier indications, based on dead pups, that they are breeding colonies. The timing of pupping seasons is not synchronous; estimates are presented for colonies between 1995 and early in 2004, with predictions to the end of 2005. The abundance estimates of sea lion pups highlight the importance of visiting a colony early in the pupping season to determine when pupping begins and ~5 months later when the maximum number of pups is expected. For the New Zealand fur seal, small numbers of pups were recorded at Dorothee, West Waldegrave and Nicolas Baudin Islands, and at Nuyts Reef. These and the previously unknown sea lion breeding colonies on the west coast of South Australia suggest that further colonies may remain to be documented. Because planning for aquaculture ventures is active in South Australia, it is important that the localities and status of sea lion and fur seal colonies be established unequivocally to ensure that the need for Prohibited Area status for islands with breeding colonies and for Marine Protected Areas around them is noted.

We examined the pupping phenology and genetic variation between the currently defined stocks of harbor seals, Phoca vitulina richardsi (Gray, 1864), in Washington’s coastal and inland waters and looked in detail at genetic variation within the inland waters of Washington. We analyzed mtDNA variation in 552 harbor seals from nine areas in Washington State and the Canada–US transboundary waters. A total of 73 haplotypes were detected; 37 individuals had unique haplotypes. Pupping phenology and levels of genetic variation between the outer coastal stock (WA Coastal Estuaries, WA North Coast) and the inland waters stock (British Columbia, Boundary Bay, San Juan Islands, Smith/Minor Islands, Dungeness Spit, Hood Canal, Gertrude Island) corroborated the appropriateness of the present stock boundary. However, within the inland waters stock, Hood Canal and Gertrude Island were significantly different from the coastal stock, from the rest of the inland waters stock, and from each other. This indicates a total of four genetically distinct groups in Washington State, suggesting that managing the inland waters as a single stock may be erroneous.

Surveys to estimate the daily growth rate of harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) pups from birth to weaning and to determine the distribution of births were carried out from early May to late August 1998, 1999, and 2000 at two haulout areas in the St. Lawrence River estuary, Canada. Pups gained mass at a rate of 0.544 kg/day (standard error (SE) = 0.141, range 0.118–0.875 kg/day, N = 110). Births began between 12 and 17 May. The median dates of birth were 28 May (95% confidence interval (CI), 27–30 May) in 1998, 25 May (95% CI, 24–28 May) in 1999, and 26 May (95% CI, 24–27 May) in 2000. Births followed a normal distribution in 2000, but late pupping led to an extended tail in both 1998 and 1999. Pupping occurred at the same time in the St. Lawrence River estuary as at Sable Island, a colony located 600 km to the south, but occurred earlier than predicted by the relationship of Temte et al. (1991). The estimated median dates of weaning were 1 July (95% CI, 20 June to 12 July) in 1998, 30 June (95% CI, 19 June to 11 July) in 1999, and 26 June (95% CI, 20 June to 2 July) in 2000. Pooling years resulted in an average lactation duration of 34 days (SE = 1.8).

Climate change associated declines in sea ice will have serious impact on species that rely on ice for reproduction and/or feeding. Little is known about the impacts on ice-dependent, sub-Arctic species or on how these species may adapt, although the ecosystem changes are likely to be most rapid along the ice edge. Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) require stable ice for pupping, nursing and the first weeks after weaning when the young develop the capacity to swim and feed. Although ice conditions in the Northwest Atlantic have varied over the past 40 years, in 2010 and 2011, the total extent of ice suitable for whelping harp seals was at, or near, the lowest ever recorded. These years of exceptionally poor ice provided us with an opportunity to improve our understanding about how ice breeding seals may respond to the conditions expected in the future. Harp seals responded to poor ice conditions differently, depending on the presence or absence of ice at the beginning of the pupping period. If no ice was present, females moved away from their traditional whelping areas to find suitable ice. If small amounts of ice were present, females gave birth even if the ice was too thin to sustain the pups, resulting in high pup mortality. There was no evidence to indicate that harp seals pupped on land even in areas where ice was absent. Young seals that drifted to shore had high levels of abandonment and mortality. If the predicted warming trends continue, ice-breeding harp seals will encounter more years with poor ice conditions and may eventually adapt by moving north. Until then, they will continue to have increased levels of mortality that could result in the disappearance of the most southern breeding component in the Gulf of St Lawrence.

The ringed seal (Phoca hispida) has a circumpolar Arctic distribution. Because of its great importance to northern communities and its role as the primary food of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) the ringed seal has been studied extensively in Canada, Alaska, Russia, Svalbard and Greenland as well as in the Baltic Sea and Karelian lakes. No clear-cut boundaries are known to separate ringed seal stocks in marine waters. Adult seals are thought to be relatively sedentary, but sub-adults sometimes disperse over long distances. Stable ice with good snow cover is considered the most productive habitat although production in pack ice has been little studied. Populations appear to be structured so that immature animals and young adults are consigned to sub-optimal habitat during the spring pupping and breeding season. Annual production in ringed seal populations, defined as thepup percentage in the total population after the late winter pupping season, is probably in the order of 18-24%. Most estimates of maximum sustainable yield are in the order of 7%.The world population of ringed seals is at least a few million. Methods of abundance estimation have included aerial surveys, dog searches and remote sensing of lairs and breathing holes, acoustic monitoring, correlation analysis by reference to sizes of polar bear populations, and inference from estimated energy requirements of bear populations. Aerial strip survey has been the method of choice for estimating seal densities over large areas. Adjustment factors to account for seals not hauled out at the time of the survey, for seals that dove ahead of the aircraft, and for seals on the ice within the surveyed strip but not detected by the observers, are required for estimates of absolute abundance.Male and female ringed seals are sexually mature by 5-7 years of age (earlier at Svalbard). Pupping usually occurs in March or early April and is followed by 5-7 weeks of lactation. Breeding takes place in mid to late May, and implantation is delayed for about 3 months. In at least some parts of their range, ringed seals feed mainly on schooling gadids from late autumn through early spring andon benthic crustaceans and polar cod (Boreogadus saida) from late spring through summer. Little feeding is done during the moult, which takes place in late spring and early summer. Pelagic crustaceans offshore and mysids inshore become important prey in late summer and early autumn in some areas. Ringed seals have several natural predators, the most important of which is the polar bear in most arctic regions. Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) kill a large percentage of pups in someareas.From a conservation perspective, the ringed seal appears to be secure. Levels of exploitation of arctic populations have usually been considered sustainable, except in the Okhotsk Sea. Large fluctuations in production of ringed seals in the Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf are thought to be driven by natural variability in environmental conditions. While concern has been expressed about thepotential impacts of industrial activity and pollution on ringed seals, such impacts have been documented only in limited areas. Because of their ubiquitous occurrence and availability for sampling, ringed seals are good subjects for monitoring contaminant trends in Arctic marine food chains.

Knowledge around reproductive movements and habitat use can be central to understanding the life histories of animal populations. Such knowledge can be especially important for managing recovery of populations depleted by human over-exploitation and habitat degradation. In marine environments, clarifying animal movements and habitat use can be difficult given the practical and logistical constraints of studying them. For my research I therefore integrate diverse techniques to cast light on reproductive movements and habitat use of the Conservation Dependent school shark Galeorhinus galeus, where conventional methodologies have left important knowledge gaps unanswered. A national rebuilding plan for the species highlighted a lack of knowledge around whether all female G. galeus migrate to historically identified pupping areas around Tasmania and Bass Strait in the south-eastern range of the species as current management assumes. Alternatively, reproductive movements and habitats may be more varied in extent and location, including pupping areas in South Australia to the northwest where aggregations of pregnant females occur. My overarching aim was to assess the spatial distribution of G. galeus pupping areas in southern Australia and the extent of shared natal origins among populations. I use: (1) element signatures in calcified shark vertebrae that derive from water chemistry and diet in birth areas as natural tags to test whether sharks from different populations recruit from common or different pupping areas, (2) energetic analyses to assess constraints on pup dispersal from pupping areas and whether pups caught in South Australia could feasibly have dispersed from known pupping areas around Tasmania and Bass Strait, and (3) satellite archival tags to track movements of pregnant G. galeus tagged in South Australia to assess pupping movements and the spatial distribution of likely pupping areas. My findings increase our knowledge of the extent and plasticity of reproductive movements and areas used by G. galeus and address several assumptions, on which current management is based, that conventional techniques such as mark-recapture studies and genetic investigations had left open to speculation. A review of elasmobranch vertebral chemistry analysis and ground-truthing laboratory experiments establish the utility of shark vertebrae as sources for natural tags. Element signatures were consistent among related time-resolved portions of the same and adjacent vertebrae, while commonly used bleach preparation did not affect element signatures for a range of elements, validating use of elasmobranch vertebrae as biogenic archives for microchemistry analyses. Post-natal element signatures from three cohorts of juvenile and sub-adult G. galeus were compared between populations in South Australia and Bass Strait. Signatures differed among populations, indicating use of different pupping areas and not supporting the previous assumption of uniform female migrations to common pupping areas. Bioenergetic analyses established an energy budget and assessed constraints on dispersal of G. galeus pups from pupping areas. High energetic costs of growth, small energy reserves, and low concentrations of energy storage lipids relative to adults indicated a trade-off prioritising growth over dispersal in pups. Newborn pups in South Australia are shown to likely be born locally rather than migrants from distant, traditionally identified pupping areas. Satellite archival tagging of pregnant females found that some remained resident in South Australia over the pupping season (November–January), some migrated to the region of known pupping areas around Tasmania and Bass Strait, and one migrated to New Zealand. Given that a single mixed stock is known to exist, this indicates partial female migration with likely pupping areas stretching from the Great Australian Bight to New Zealand that are far less spatially constrained than assumed. This thesis therefore achieved its main aim of assessing whether the spatial distribution of G. galeus pupping areas and uniformity of female migratory behaviour in southern Australia conformed to current assumptions. Furthermore, it confirmed South Australia is a reproductively important area for school shark. Allocation of resources to future study of reproductive behaviours and habitats in South Australia would better inform management and enhance prospects for successful recovery of the species.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences, 2018

<em>Abstract.</em>—At least 16 species of coastal sharks from four families (Carcharhinidae, Sphyrnidae, Ginglymostomidae, Triakidae) utilize Gulf of Mexico waters off Florida and Texas as primary and/ or secondary nursery areas. From 1991 to 2004, data were collected on 12,879 neonates, young of the year, and older juveniles of these 16 species in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, primarily in coastal waters of the Florida peninsula and secondarily along the Texas coast. Five main areas of Florida (Yankeetown, Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Ten Thousand Islands, and Florida Keys) and three areas of Texas (Sabine Pass, Matagorda Bay, and Corpus Christi) were studied as shark nurseries. In general, most pupping activity in these gulf nurseries occurs in the late spring and early summer and the neonate and young-of-the-year animals inhabit the primary nurseries throughout the summer and into the fall. Declining water temperatures in the fall typically are associated with the exit of sharks from these natal inshore waters. In some cases, annual cycles of philopatric behavior are indicated whereby juveniles of both large and small coastal species migrate back to the nurseries in spring and summer. In these cases, primary nurseries for neonates and young of the year may function additionally as secondary nurseries for older juveniles. The importance of Florida and Texas coastal habitats in the early life history of Gulf of Mexico sharks underscores the need for conservation of these areas to help rebuild depleted shark populations.

<em>Abstract.</em>—Historically, primary nursery (pupping) grounds of the sandbar shark <em>Carcharhinus plumbeus </em>along the U.S. East Coast extended as far north as Great South Bay, Long Island, New York. We conducted gill-net and hook-and-line surveys during July and August 1996, in coastal bays of New Jersey and New York, to investigate whether these historical nursery areas were still utilized by sandbar sharks. No sandbar sharks were caught in Great South Bay, Shinnecock Bay, or Peconic Bay, New York or in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Seventeen sandbar sharks measuring 42– 52 cm fork length (47–62 cm total length) were captured in Great Bay, New Jersey; all sandbar sharks had unhealed umbilical scars and 35% carried umbilical cord remains, indicative of recent birth. Sharks were tagged and released. Three of these sharks were recaptured (18% recapture rate); one sandbar shark was recaptured in Great Bay 3.7 km from the release location, and two sharks were recaptured the following March off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina by commercial fishermen in the same gill-net set. In conclusion, the results from this study indicate that Great Bay, New Jersey continues to be a primary nursery ground for the sandbar shark, and the study results also contribute to the understanding of migratory patterns for this species.

<em>Abstract.</em>—From October 1997 to September 2000, we conducted a survey of shark nursery grounds in the northern Gulf of Mexico extending from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi to Perdido Bay, Alabama. The objectives of the survey were to identify shark pupping/nursery grounds, determine their extent, and characterize the environmental conditions prevalent. Collections were made from March to October of each year with at least four sites sampled each month, two sites in Mississippi waters and two sites in Alabama waters. Collections were made using a gill net fished from 1500 until 2200 hours each day. A total of 100 collections were made during the study, resulting in the capture of more than 2,200 sharks. Young-of-the-year and juvenile sharks were collected from many areas in the Mississippi Sound with many sharks taken around Cat, Ship, Horn, Petit Bois, Round, and Dauphin islands. Shark populations along the Mississippi and Alabama gulf coasts are dominated by three species, the Atlantic sharpnose shark <em>Rhizoprionodon terraenovae</em>, the blacktip shark <em>Carcharhinus limbatus</em>, and the finetooth shark <em>C. isodon. </em>Other species captured included the bull shark <em>C. leucas</em>, the scalloped hammerhead <em>Sphyrna lewini</em>, the bonnethead <em>S. tiburo</em>, the spinner shark <em>C. brevipinna, </em>the blacknose shark <em>C. acronotus</em>, and the sandbar shark <em>C. plumbeus</em>. We used analysis of variance to compare the environmental factors present at sites where sharks were present with those at sites where sharks were not present and found significant differences in surface and bottom dissolved oxygen when Atlantic sharpnose sharks were present, surface and bottom temperature and surface dissolved oxygen when finetooth sharks were present, and surface and bottom temperature when blacktip sharks were present. We used unweighted poisson regression to examine the effect of environmental factors on catch per unit effort (CPUE) (sharks 100 m net^–1 h^–1) and found that surface salinity significantly altered catch of Atlantic sharpnose sharks, surface and bottom temperature and surface dissolved oxygen significantly altered finetooth shark CPUE, and both surface and bottom temperature and dissolved oxygen altered blacktip shark CPUE. To consider interspecific interactions between the three dominant species, we used the Yule coefficient of association and found that young of the year of the three most common species were significantly, positively associated. Future studies of shark abundance and distribution should consider the interactions between co-occurring species. The Mississippi Sound, associated barrier islands, and the lower reaches of the Mobile Bay are important nursery grounds for several shark species, particularly blacktip, Atlantic sharpnose, and finetooth sharks.

<em>Abstract.</em>—Sharks were collected from the estuarine and nearshore waters of South Carolina in an effort to delineate nursery grounds for coastal sharks within state waters. From March 1998 through December 2003, 4,098 sharks, representing 12 species, were collected using gill-net and hand-deployed longline fishing gears provided by the Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery Survey. To supplement these data, records of 6,648 shark captures, representing 16 species, from a long-term longline survey in South Carolina coastal waters were incorporated into the analyses. The results of this study indicate that the estuarine and nearshore waters of South Carolina represent an important primary nursery area for finetooth sharks <em>Carcharhinus isodon</em>, blacktip sharks <em>C. limbatus</em>, sandbar sharks <em>C. plumbeus</em>, Atlantic sharpnose sharks <em>Rhizoprionodon terraenovae</em>, and scalloped hammerheads <em>Sphyrna lewini</em>.

Toxocariosis is a neglected zoonotic infection caused by the nematodes Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati. The distribution of the disease is worldwide and mainly affects dogs and cats, and its larval stage can cause human infection with serious repercussions on the health of its hosts. The infection causes a delay in the development, digestive disorders, nonspecific nervous manifestations, and occasionally death of some puppies and kittens associated with hyperparasitosis. In humans, the infection produces clinical syndromes known as visceral larva migrans (VLM), ocular larva migrans (OLM), neurotoxocariosis and covert toxocariosis. The close contact of people with their pets and the environmental conditions that favor the transmission of this diseased place it within the context of one health. The One Health concept is defined as the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines (medical personnel, veterinarians, researchers, etc.) that work locally, nationally, and globally to achieve optimal health for people, animals, and the environment, from this perspective, toxocariosis is a study model in which classic and recent knowledge of the medical and veterinary area must be combined for its full understanding, with a goal of establishing integrative criteria for its treatment, control, and prevention.