Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides

Abstract

The Graceful Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides) is a medium-sized (to 178 cm total length) coastal shark that occurs in the Indo-West Pacific, from Australia to Somalia in nearshore habitats to a depth of 50 m. The biology and ecology of the species is poorly-known, but it is thought to have moderate productivity like other medium-sized carcharhinids. It is rarely targeted and mainly taken as bycatch and comprises only small proportions of catches in commercial and small-scale gillnet, longline, and trawl fisheries. Within Australian waters the fisheries that take the Graceful Shark are well managed, but through the rest of its range, management of shark populations is mostly lacking. We can infer that given its medium-size, and presence in coastal waters of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean where coastal fishing is intensive and extensive, it is likely threatened. Based on ongoing declines in species of similar life histories and catchability in fisheries, the Graceful Shark is suspected to have undergone a population reduction of 30–49% over the past three generation lengths (33 years) due to levels of exploitation, and it is assessed as Vulnerable A2d.