Baited remote underwater survey of chondrichthyans in False Bay, South Africa
Master Thesis
2013
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University of Cape Town
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Worldwide, numerous shark populations are in rapid decline due to chronic overfishing. Their slow reproductive capacity make them susceptible to extinction. To monitor the status of chondrichthyan species, the method or combination of methods used should be non-selective, applicable in a variety of habitats and under most environmental conditions. Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) surveys have shown major benefits over traditional capture-based survey methods in multiple areas. They have been shown to be non-extractive, causing no major disturbance to the substrata and its epibenthos. Large, mobile animals that avoid divers and active fishing surveys are detected. The recorded video removes the need for specialist observers to conduct all the fieldwork. The video allows impartial and repeatable measurements and standardizes data collection and training in association with remote taxonomists. The method is also cheaper than alternatives. Ninety-five sites were sampled with 60 minute video recordings across the whole of False Bay during the period of June-July 2012. Fifteen species of chondrichthyans were recorded, of which Haploblepharus edwardsii was the most abundant, being observed at 83 of 95 sites. One hour was sufficient to capture all the chondrichthyans within the observed area as the average time of arrival was about half an hour into the recording. The distribution of the chondrichthyan population was remarkably uniform across the bay. Depth, habitat and substrate type were significant predictors of species composition (P = 0.004, 0.025 and 0.001 respectively). Opportunistic encounters (one individual observed) included Carcharodon carcharias, Squalus megalops, Rhinobatos annulatus and Myliobatis aquila.
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Watson, R. 2013. Baited remote underwater survey of chondrichthyans in False Bay, South Africa. University of Cape Town.