Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Abstract
Commercial longline fishing results in large amounts of incidental bycatch of elasmobranch fishes (sharks, skates, and rays). Teleost species lack electrosensory systems and development of technologies which target the ampullary organs of sharks provides an avenue to selectively deter elasmobranchs without affecting the catch rate of target teleosts. Electric field measurements and a controlled scientific longline study were conducted testing whether the lanthanide metal neodymium or zinc/graphite might reduce elasmobranch catch per unit effort (CPUE). Baited longline hooks were treated with neodymium and zinc/graphite and catch rates were compared to that of controls. Shark CPUE decreased by 60% on neodymium treated hooks and 80% on zinc/graphite treated hooks. The effectiveness of both treatments varied among species with significant reductions shown for Atlantic sharpnose sharks (Rhizoprionodon terranovae) but less dramatic differences for others. Zinc/graphite is potentially a viable tool for reduction of shark bycatch in a commercial longline fishery.
Extent
vi, 40 p. : ill.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Kieran Thomas, "Electrogenic metals for elasmobranch bycatch mitigation" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 754.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/754
Identifier
FADT3361053
Comments
by Kieran Thomas Smith.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.|Includes bibliography.|Mode of access: World Wide Web.|System requirements: Adobe Reader.|by Kieran Thomas Smith.