Life history data were collected from Atlantic sharpnose and blacknose sharks during the Congressional Supplemental Program during 2011. Data collected include length, sex, state of maturity and fecundity. Additionally, reproductive tracts were removed and measures of anatomical structures were obtained.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Nekton in the northern Gulf of Mexico often depend on marsh habitat and estuarine nursery areas during their life history, but patterns of habitat use and the underlying processes that drive these patterns are not fully understood. We examined small-scale (1-50 m) patterns of habitat use in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, between 2002 and 2006 by collecting nekton with a 1-m2 drop sampler. Habitat-specific densities were estimated for six habitat types at various distances from the shoreline into the marsh (Marsh1M = 1m and Marsh3M = 3 m into the marsh) and over shallow nonvegetated bottom, SNB (SNB1M = 1 m, SNB5M = 5 m, SNB20M = 20 m, and SNB50M = 50 m) seaward of the marsh. Habitat-specific growth rates also were estimated for brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus caged in SNB1M, SNB5M, and SNB20M. Nekton density patterns in Barataria Bay appeared to be clearly different from the Galveston Bay model, which predicts nekton distribution patterns relative to the marsh shoreline. Although densities in Barataria Bay were significantly higher in samples near the marsh shoreline (Marsh1M or SNB1M) for brown shrimp, blue crab, and white shrimp, highest mean densities were not always present in marsh edge vegetation. In addition, densities of brown shrimp and white shrimp in Barataria Bay declined much more steeply with distance into the marsh than in the model. Daily growth rates (1.0 - 1.2 mm TL day-1; 68 - 89 mg day-1) for brown shrimp were similar among SNB habitat types. Our results suggest that SNB in Barataria Bay may be relatively more important as habitat for fishery species than previously assumed.