Identification of the southernmost aggregation of scalloped hammerhead sharks in Australia
16 February 2022
Identification of the southernmost aggregation of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in Australia
Naima Andrea López, Rory B. McAuley, Jessica J. Meeuwig
ABSTRACT:
Scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) occur in tropical to subtropical waters across all ocean basins and are globally assessed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In Australia, scalloped hammerheads range from Sydney, New South Wales (34° S; 151° E), around northern Australia, down to Geographe Bay, Western Australia (33° S; 115° E). However, in Western Australia, the species has rarely been recorded south of Jurien Bay (30° S; 115° E). We report a recurrent aggregation of scalloped hammerheads within the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park (32° S; 115° E), 240 km south of Jurien Bay, observed from drone footage collected during the 2019 and 2020 Austral summers. These new records challenge previous understanding of the distributional range of this Critically Endangered species and prompt questions about the adequacy of current protection measures.
Austral Ecology, Early View, DOI: 10.1111/aec.13149