Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

This site is currently in beta, and your feedback is helping shape its ongoing development.

ALLDATAFORPUBALL28AUG12 and Lengths for AnalysisALL28AUG12 (effort, catch, and environmental data)

Published by Southeast Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2025-05-15T19:16:16.000+00:00
Coastal shark community structure was quantified across 10 geographic areas in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico using fishery-independent gillnet data from 2003-2011. A total of 3,205 sets were made in which 14,244 carcharhiniform sharks, primarily juveniles, were caught comprising 11 species from three families. Atlantic sharpnose sharks (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) were the most abundant species overall followed by bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo) and blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus). Two-way crossed analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) found geographic area to significantly influence shark species-life stage assemblages while season did not. Resemblance matrices between environmental data and shark community assemblage found the two were significantly correlated with the combination of salinity and turbidity producing the highest spearman rank correlation value. Species diversity varied by geographic area, but was generally highest in areas with the greatest amount of fresh and saltwater fluctuations. The mean size of the three most abundant species differed across geographic areas whereas, those species in lower abundances also differed across regions, but exhibited no discernible pattern. Our results suggest geographic area is important for juvenile sharks and some areas may be considered important nursery areas for many species. Atlantic sharpnose and blacktip shark were not restricted to any specific geographic area but species such as bull (C. leucas), spinner (C. brevipinna), blacknose (C. acronotus), finetooth (C. isodon), sandbar (C. plumbeus) and scalloped hammerhead (S. lewini) sharks were only consistently captured within a single area or over a select group of areas.

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov