Taxon name
Rhizoprionodon oligolinx
Springer, 1964
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Rhizoprionodon oligolinx
Springer, 1964
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
Springer, 1964
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A2cd
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The Grey Sharpnose Shark occurs throughout UAE waters. It is reported as a dominant species in landings in several Arabian Sea countries and is particularly susceptible to a variety of inshore fisheries that operate throughout the region. Intensive and increasing fishing means that, like many other sharks, populations are likely to have declined. Some management measures are now in place in the Arabian Sea region, although domestic fisheries are likely to continue. Though data specifically from the UAE are not available, individuals in the UAE are a component of a larger, interconnected and migratory population that occurs broadly in the north-western Indian Ocean. It is inferred that declines reported in the Arabian Sea region are representative of its status in the UAE. Based on recorded levels of exploitation and decline in habitat quality, it is suspected to have declined by 20-30% over the past three generation lengths, or about 12 years. It is listed as Near Threatened, nearly meeting the thresholds for Vulnerable A2cd.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Grey Sharpnose Shark occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific (Last and Stevens 2009). In the Arabian Sea region, it occurs from the Arabian Gulf to Sri Lanka.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The Grey Sharpnose Shark is a small species that is very common in muddy littoral waters to depths of at least 36 m. It attains a maximum size of 93 cm total length (TL) with males maturing at 45-53 cm TL (Moore et al. 2012, Kizhakudan et al. 2015). It is a viviparous species that produces 3-7 young each year. Pups are born at around 25-30 cm (Kizhakudan et al. 2015). No age data is currently available, and a generation length of 4 years is estimated based on the closely related Milk Shark (Rhizoprinodon acutus) (Compagno 1984, Last and Stevens 2009).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
In the UAE sharks, have been impacted by targeted commercial fisheries until 2014 when a ban on export of sharks was imposed (Ministry of Climate Change and Environment). Sharks continue to be impacted by artisanal and bycatch fisheries (Annual Fisheries Statistical Report for Abu Dhabi Emirate 2001-2018), though catch data are not species-specific. Marine habitats in the region have experienced high levels of disturbance and are quickly deteriorating due to major impacts from development activities (Sheppard <em style=""font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2; text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"">et al. 2010).
Publication
Ralph, G.M., Stump, E., Linardich, C., Bullock, R.W., Carpenter, K.E., Allen D.J., Hilton-Taylor, C., Al Mheiri, R., and Alshamsi, O. 2021. UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes. 2021. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
