https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Index en-au 5 https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:36777 Urolophus cruciatus and U. paucimaculatus, and one draughtboard shark, Cephalocyllium laticeps) in response to an approaching demersal trawl to quantify behavioural factors that affect their catchability. The morphologically similar U.cruciatus and U. paucimaculatus were similarly abundant, i.e. 290 and 218 individuals, respectively, but displayed different net avoidance behaviours, with U. paucimaculatus being far more likely to enter the trawl. The greater catchability of U. paucimaculatus would falsely suggest this less common species was more abundant than U. cruciatus, which has implications for any assessments of the impacts of trawling on these two elasmobranchs. Collision with trawl gear was relatively common for both Urolophus spp., and this was shown to decrease their likelihood of capture. In contrast, only 1 of the 68 individuals of the morphologically-different C. laticeps collided with gear. These results will help inform future development of BRDs and highlight that understanding the behaviour of elasmobranchs in response to capture methods should form an integral component of assessments of the impacts of trawling on this highly affected group.]]> Thu 16 Feb 2023 10:01:07 AEDT ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:45531 Mon 31 Oct 2022 14:52:09 AEDT ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:40550 Pristiophorus nudipinnis), to guide future research in this area. To identify where the animals may occur in greater numbers, this study used the major commercial fishery datasets in the region, containing nearly 180 000 catch records from 1990 to 2017. Several general patterns were evident. Sawsharks occurred at shallower and deeper depths than previously thought, and their geographical range was larger than documented in previous studies. Depth distributions of both species overlapped, but P. cirratus appeared more common in deeper water (at depths up to 500 m), with peak common sawshark catch rates at ~400 m. Seasonal standardised catch patterns across fishing methods suggested that migrations from deeper to shallower waters may occur in the Australasian autumn and winter. The greatest concentration of sawsharks, inferred by standardised catch rates, occurred to the east and west of Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Although standardised catch rates of sawsharks declined in gill-net fisheries by ~30%, primarily in the Bass Strait and Tasmania, sawsharks appear to be caught at consistent rates since the 1990s, inferring a possible resilience of these sharks to current levels of fishing pressure.]]> Fri 22 Jul 2022 15:24:27 AEST ]]>