Spatiotemporal and demographic patterns in commercial catches of tope (Galeorhinus galeus) and spurdog (Squalus acanthias).

Evans, Maisie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9893-5028, Ellis, Jim R., Kingston, Allen, Pinnegar, John K., Ribeiro Santos, Anna and Robinson, Carol ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3033-4565 (2026) Spatiotemporal and demographic patterns in commercial catches of tope (Galeorhinus galeus) and spurdog (Squalus acanthias). Fisheries Research, 303. ISSN 0165-7836

Preview

PDF (1-s2.0-S0165783626002341-main) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (5MB) | Preview

Abstract

Tope (Galeorhinus galeus) and spurdog (Squalus acanthias) have been historically overexploited by fisheries, leading to global population declines. Despite both species having well-documented migration patterns and being known to aggregate by sex and life-stage, interactions with commercial fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic have not been assessed in relation to seasonality, sex ratio and/or life-stage. Identifying and quantifying any differences would inform fisheries management efforts to mitigate the impact of overexploitation on these populations. Using reported landings and observer programme data, interactions with United Kingdom commercial fisheries on the Northwest European shelf were investigated. Both species were vulnerable to capture in setnet and bottom trawl gears, particularly in the English Channel and Celtic Sea. Recorded tope catches in the study area peaked in August (bottom trawls) and December (setnets), with no significant sex ratio bias in hauls suggesting the region is important for both sexes. For spurdog, sex-specific seasonal differences were found in the Celtic Sea in setnets with evidence of male-dominated hauls occurring further from the coast than female-dominated hauls. These results provide insights into finer scale spatio-temporal fisheries interactions for two elasmobranch populations in the Northeast Atlantic and demonstrate the utility of landings and observer programme data to identify opportunities for spatio-temporal fisheries and conservation management measures.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data availability: The authors do not have permission to share data.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	fisheries,northeast atlantic,elasmobranchii,triakidae,squalidae,convention of migratory species,sdg 14 - life below water ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Biology
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	30 Sep 2026 11:14
Last Modified:	04 Oct 2026 23:04
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104657
DOI:	10.1016/j.fishres.2026.107881

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item