Fins and Fin Rays from Whale Shark (Rhiniodon typus Smith)

The whale shark (Rhiniodon typus Smith) is an under exploited species and it is mainly caught for its liver oil . The processing of shark fin for rays is reported here . The fins have a high content of rays . The yield of fin rays from undried fins ranged from 0 .53 to 4 .40 percent with maximum ray content in the lower lobe of caudal fin . The physical and chemical characteristics of the rays are reported . The total nitrogen content is about 15 to 16 percent (dry weight basis)

Effect of chronic supplementation with shark liver oil on immune responses of exercise-trained rats

Previous studies have reported that chronic supplementation with shark liver oil (SLO) improves immune response of lymphocyte, macrophage and neutrophil in animal models and humans. In a similar manner, exercise training also stimulates the immune system. However, we are not aware of any study about the association of exercise and SLO supplementation on immune response. Thus, our main goal was to investigate the effect of chronic supplementation with SLO on immune responses of exercise-trained rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: sedentary with no supplementation (SED, n = 20), sedentary with SLO supplementation (SEDslo, n = 20), exercised (EX, n = 17) and exercised supplemented with SLO (EXslo, n = 19). Rats swam for 6 weeks, 1.5 h/day, in water at 32 +/- A 1A degrees C, with a load of 6.0% body weight attached to the thorax of rat. Animals were killed 48 h after the last exercise session. SLO supplementation did not change phagocytosis, lysosomal volume, superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide production by peritoneal macrophages and blood neutrophils. Thymus and spleen lymphocyte proliferation were significantly higher in SEDslo, EX, and EXslo groups compared with SED group (P < 0.05). Gut-associated lymphocyte proliferation, on the other hand, was similar between the four experimental groups. Our findings show that SLO and EX indeed are able to increase lymphocyte proliferation, but their association did not induce further stimulation in the adaptive immune response and also did not modify innate immunity.

Comparing external and internal dorsal-spine bands to interpret the age and growth of the giant lantern shark, Etmopterus baxteri (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae)

The giant lantern shark, Etmopterus baxteri, is taken as bycatch of commercial fisheries that operate in deepwater off southeastern Australia. Bands on the second dorsal spine were used to obtain age estimates. The number of bands on the external surface of the spine and within the inner dentine layer increased with animal length. Most spines had more bands on the external surface, and the rate of band formation was significantly different between the external surface and the inner dentine layer. Females had a maximum of 57 external bands and 26 internal bands, while males had up to 48 external bands and 22 internal bands. Age estimates from external bands suggest maturity (A ₅₀) at 20 years for males and 30 years for females. Internal band age estimates suggest maturity at 10.5 years for males and 11.5 years for females. Although there is a large discrepancy between these two preliminary (i.e., unvalidated) age estimates, they both suggest that E. baxteri is a long-lived and late maturing species that is likely to be susceptible to over fishing.

Bad habits and prosthetic performances : negotiation of individuality and embodiment of social status in Australian shark fishing

Anthropological discussion of individuality, as a component of masculinity, has tended to focus on either the performance and championing of autonomy in the West (e.g., Kapferer) or the manner in which people in non-Western contexts become explicitly manifest through relationships with others (e.g., Strathern). In this paper, I consider an atypical example of masculine identity by describing intimate interpersonal relationships between Australian commercial shark boat skippers and their young deckhands. As in other Western fisheries (e.g., Icelandic), economic success and physical safety are promoted through synergism among fishers. In the Australian case, however, the degree of corporeal cooperation is so extreme that deckhands resemble living prostheses of their skipper, embodying their peripheral socio-productive status. I consider this bond in the context of the Australian ethos of masculinity, in which displays of "individuality" are key. However, for young deckhands, their prosthetic role can compromise their passage into manhood.

Managing shark fishermen in southern Australia : a critique

This paper analyses effects of a shift from input to output controls in Australia's Southern Shark Fishery. We show that the use of two management tools--individual transferable quotas and a "partnership approach"--was flawed and argue that primary contributing causes were the unjustified expectation that quota management would serve as a [`]technical fix' to a variety of presumed problems, the discounting of social effects and the extreme lack of stability in the organizational structure within which this fishery was situated.

Assessment of shark cartilage extract from two commercially viable species

This study provided initial evidence that extract derived from the cartilage of two commercially available Australian shark species, may potentially, be effective in the inhibition of tumour growth, whilst also showing that the species and maturity level, but not the gender of the shark, influenced the amount of extract obtained.

Reproduction and ageing of Australian holocephalans and white-fin swell shark

The holocephalans are a slow growing, long lived group with a conservative life history strategy and require similarly conservative fishery management strategies to ensure their sustainable exploitation. White-fin swell shark are relatively short lived, highly fecund and likely to be more capable of withstanding intensive fishing.

Feeding habits of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) off the coast of Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Record of the goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes: Mitsukurinidae) from the south-western Atlantic.

This paper reports the first well-documented specimen of the goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni in the south-western Atlantic, based on a mature male measuring 3152 mm total length, caught on 27 November 2008 off the Rio de Janeiro coast, south-east Brazil.

Cryptic hammerhead shark lineage occurrence in the western South Atlantic revealed by DNA analysis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)