Evidence of Philopatry in Sharks and Implications for the Management of Shark Fisheries

Evidence of philopatric behaviour in diverse species of sharks is accumulating through various sources of data, including studies of shark behaviour, genetics and fisheries. If sharks display natural tendencies to return to a home area, birthplace or another adopted locality during portions of their life cycles, as opposed to roaming and dispersing throughout their overall range, the impact of fisheries removals and habitat alterations on shark populations and stocks could be profound, and the use of shark catch data to assess stocks could be complicated. The accumulating evidence for philopatry in sharks is reviewed and its implications for fisheries management and conservation of shark species is discussed.