Evidence of Philopatry in Sharks and Implications for the Management of Shark Fisheries

Abstract

Evidence of philopatric behavior in diverse species of sharks is accumulating through various sources of data, including studies of shark behavior, genetics and fisheries. If sharks display natural tendencies to return to a home area, birthplace or another adopted locality during portions of their life cycles, as opposed to roaming and dispersing throughout their overall ranges, the impact of fisheries removals and habitat alterations on shark populations and stocks could be profound, and the use of shark catch data to assess stocks could be complicated. We review the accumulating evidence for philopatry in sharks and discuss its implications for fisheries management and conservation of shark species.