Research Document 2022/025

Recovery potential assessment for the North Atlantic designatable unit of Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

By Bowlby, H.D., Coates, P.J., Joyce, W.N., and Simpson, M.R.

Abstract

The North Atlantic Designatable Unit (DU) of Shortfin Mako Shark was assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as Endangered in April 2019, and is currently under consideration for listing under Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) presented here provides information to support the listing recommendation and any recovery actions, should the species be listed.

Shortfin Mako occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean. The biological characteristics of Shortfin Mako (i.e., relatively long lifespan, late maturity, and low reproductive output) make the population very susceptible to fishing pressure, which is the main threat identified in the North Atlantic. Multiple international and Canadian fisheries intercept Shortfin Mako as bycatch, and the most recent assessment of the DU predicts that it is overfished relative to biomass at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). Reducing total removals in the North Atlantic to 500 mt is projected to have a > 50% probability of population recovery by 2070. For comparison, international and Canadian removals in 2019 totalled 1,863 mt and 63 mt, respectively. Considering just Canadian fleets, interception probabilities are highest from pelagic longline, with an average of 48% of observed sets encountering Shortfin Mako, followed by bottom longline (0.4% of sets) and otter trawl (0.2% of sets).

The most effective Canadian mitigation measure for Shortfin Mako will be the new landings prohibition, implemented in 2020 for pelagic longline and scheduled for implementation in 2021 for fixed-gear groundfish fisheries. The effectiveness of other mitigation measures are relatively unclear and, in many cases, would require dedicated experimentation to test. The current requirement to use circle hooks may need to be revised due to new evidence that increased catchability outweighs any reduction in post-release mortality for Shortfin Mako, thus leading to greater total mortality as compared to using J-hooks. Given the current level of international fisheries removals and the extent of mitigation already in place in Canada, there is very little scope for mitigation actions by Canada to measurably affect recovery potential.

Research Document 2022/025 (PDF, 3847 KB)

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