The Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery (GULFSPAN) survey is a NOAA-led fishery-independent survey that examines the distribution and abundance of juvenile sharks in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. The data describe coastal shark abundance, based on paired gillnet and longline surveys conducted monthly from April to October, and environmental data from Tampa Bay.

Photos of catch, methodology, scientists, and habitat organized by year and month, 2003-current.

This Archive Information Package (AIP) contains basic biological information and specific (by stomach and prey item) diet information for blacktip sharks. Data were collected by the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center; Panama City, FL Laboratory, through the observer programs, and other fishery independent surveys in the coastal waters of Florida. Data are in comma separated value (CSV) format and include length, sex, number of prey items, and stomach content analysis. Stomach contents and catch data of early life stages of blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) were examined to test for overlap in resource use.

This Archival Information Package (AIP) contains basic biological information of Atlantic sharpnose shark and specific (by stomach and prey item) diet information for the Atlantic sharpnose shark. Data were collected by the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center; Panama City, FL Laboratory in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico from 2000 to 2003. Data are in comma separated value (CSV) format and include sex, maturity, number of prey items

Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae diet is described from Crooked Island Sound, an embayment of the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Diet was assessed by life-stage and quantified using six indices: percent by number, percent by weight, frequency of occurrence, the index of relative importance (IRI), IRI expressed on a percent basis (IRI), and IRI based on prey category (IRIPC). Young-of-the-year sharks (n56) fed on a mix of teleosts (mostly clupeids, 44.6 IRIPC) and invertebrates (combined, 25.1 IRIPC), juveniles (n185) on sciaenids (40.7 IRIPC) and clupeids (37.8 IRIPC), and adults (n105) on sciaenids (71.4 IRIPC). Differences in diet by site and ontogeny were tested by comparing diet from Crooked Island Sound with published information from St. Vincent Island in Apalachicola Bay, an adjacent estuary. Stomach contents were also used to expand on published prey size-predator size information.

Reproductive data from Atlantic sharpnose sharks were collected from specimens captured throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico on various research vessels. Data included those necessary to describe the size at maturity, reproductive cycle, mating period, gestation time and fecundity of the species.

Coastal habitat use and residency of small juvenile Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenove) and bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo) sharks in relation to larger juvenile blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus) and scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) sharks were examined by acoustic monitoring in Crooked Island Sound, FL. This is a raw dataset no analysis or publications have come from this data as of data.

This Archival Information Package (AIP) contains basic biological information on bonnethead and scalloped hammerhead sharks with specific (by stomach and prey item) diet information for these two species. Data were collected by the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center; Panama City, FL Laboratory in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida from 1998 to 2005. Data are in comma separated value (CSV) format and include length, sex, and number of prey items.

This dataset contains the catch data from seasonal gillnet and longline surveys of shark nursery areas in the Central Section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (2011-2014). Methods: Sampling occurred seasonally in nine bays along ~ 400 km of the tropical north Queensland coastline: Rockingham, Halifax, Cleveland, Bowling Green, Upstart, Abbott, Edgecumbe, Woodwark/Double and Repulse Bays. Of these nine bays, five were sampled regularly, the others (in italics) were sampled only once as part of a broader survey. Sampling sites were dominated by silty substrates, and mudflat and/or mangrove-lined foreshores. Between October 2011 and November 2013 eight rounds of fisheries-independent surveys were undertaken to collect data on the shark community across the study region. Within each bay sampling occurred randomly within sixteen 0.9 km wide strips running perpendicular to the shore. Two groups of eight strips were placed within each bay to spread the sampling across different habitat types and management zones (i.e. gill-net fishing allowed and gill-net fishing prohibited) where possible. During each round, each bay was sampled over four days allowing for two days of sampling in each group of strips. The bays vary in size and so the relative proportion of area sampled varied between bays. Two methods were used to sample across a broad range of shark sizes. During a total of 183 days of sampling, 453 longline shots and 343 gill-net shots were deployed totaling 370 and 310 h, respectively. Bottom-set gill-nets, comprised of 11-cm-stretched mesh, were deployed for ~ 1 h and checked every 15 min to facilitate tagging and release. In accordance with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Dugong Protection Areas, multiple panels of net were joined to create a total net length of either 200 m or 400 m. In addition, some 100-m gill-nets were used during the Jan/Feb round in 2012. Bottom-set longlines were comprised of 800 m of 6-mm nylon mainline with an anchor and float at both ends. Gangions were attached to the mainline ~ 8–10 m apart; and were comprised of 1 m of 4-mm nylon cord, 1 m of 1.5-mm wire leader, and a baited 14/0 Mustad tuna circle hook. A variety of fresh and frozen baits were used including butterfly bream (Nemipterus sp.), squid (Loligo sp.), blue threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) and mullet (Mugil cephalus). Up to two longlines were deployed simultaneously for 40–90 min sets. Environmental data (water temperature, salinity, depth, turbidity and oxygen saturation) were recorded for all sets. Captured sharks were identified to species level, tagged on the first dorsal fin (Rototag or Superflex tag; Dalton, Oxfordshire, UK), measured, sexed, assessed for clasper calcification, examined for umbilical scar condition, and released at their capture site. Stretch total length was determined according to Compagno (1984). Small sharks (? 1 m) were placed ventral side down on a measuring board and measured to the nearest mm with the upper lobe of the caudal fin depressed in line with the body axis. Larger sharks were secured beside the boat and measured to the nearest cm using a measuring tape. Additional measurements of fork length and pre-caudal length were recorded. Format: CSV File, 4432 rows (~1MB), Shapefiles (4409 Points) Each line of data represents the catch of an individual shark, ray, fish, etc. Multiple lines exist per shot if more than one animal was caught. The shapefile was created by the eAtlas for visualisation purposes. It retains most of the information in the CSV as a point shapefile. The point shapefile was created from the CSV using the Start_Lat and Start_Long as the coordinate for points. If rows which did not have a valid Start_Lat or Start_Long (29 rows) then the End_Lat and End_Long were used instead (6 rows). If neither of these were available then the row was ignored. This removed 23 rows. Attributes Lat and Long were added to contain the coordinates used in the shapefile, leaving the

Reproductive data from Atlantic sharpnose sharks were collected from specimens captured throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico on various research vessels. Data included those necessary to describe the size at maturity, reproductive cycle, mating period, gestation time and fecundity of the species.