Shark longline fishery of Papua New Guinea: size and species composition and spatial variation of the catches.

Abstract

This study provides the first detailed investigation of the catches of the shark longline fishery in Papua New Guinea. Fisheries observes collected data on shark catches from a total of 318 longline sets between May and June 2014, before it s closure in July 2014. In all, 14694 sharks were recorded with a total estimated biomass of 439 tonnes (Mg). Eighteen species of sharks were recorded in the observer data, with the most dominant species being Carcharhinus falciformis which constituted more than 90% of the total catches by both weight and number of individuals.