Preliminary Study on Species Composition of Sharks and Rays Caught from Sarawak Waters
|
THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
|
Title :
Preliminary Study on Species Composition of Sharks and Rays Caught from Sarawak Waters. |
|
Author :
Perceval Conder, Nurridan Abdul Han and Arfazieda Anuar |
|
Abstract:
Sarawak, Borneo, holds historical significance in ichthyology as it was a collection site for several early taxonomic studies of fish in this region. Cartilaginous fish are relatively diverse in the marine and freshwater environments of Borneo (Ahmad et al., 2013). Until recently, this fauna was poorly known, and reports by field scientists in the mid-19th century only produced incomplete records of elasmobranchs in the area. However, there is a lack of scientifically proven data on the diversity of shark and ray species in the waters of Sarawak compared to the waters of Malaysia in general. The main objective of this study is to obtain basic information on the composition of shark and ray species caught in the waters of Sarawak. Observations and data collection of landings at selected active landing jetties from Zone 1 Kuching, Zone 2 Sibu, and Zone 3 Miri were conducted from 2023 to 2024. The second objective is to compile, prepare and document the latest scientific findings for reference in the management of shark and ray resources in Sarawak. Current results indicate that more than five species of sharks and rays are commercially caught by fishermen from all regions and by drift net and trawl. For drift net, seven shark species from four families were recorded from drift net catches in Sarawak waters. The most prevalent species observed was the Carcharhinus sorrah (Spot-tail Shark), which accounted for 31% of the total capture. Scoliodon laticaudus (Spadenose Shark) and Rhizoprionodon acutus (Milk Shark) came in second and third, respectively, at 28% and 22%. Meanwhile, a total of 11 shark species representing five families were recorded from trawl net catches in Sarawak waters. The most abundant species were R. acutus comprising 22%, followed by C. sorrah, S. laticaudus and S. lewini, each contributing 21% of the total catch. In comparison, a total of nine ray species representing four families, were recorded from drift net catches in Sarawak waters. All species belonged to the order Myliobatiformes, indicating that stingrays dominated the ray assemblage in the drift net fishery...
|
| DOI: XXXX |
|
How to cite:
Conder, P. et al. (2025). Preliminary Study on Species Composition of Sharks and Rays Caught from Sarawak Waters. The Sarawak Museum Journal, 89 (110): 127-144 |
|
References
|
