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Investigating the status of Ecuador’s lost shark, the Sharpfin Houndshark Triakis acutipinna

Abstract:

The Sharpfin Houndshark, Triakis acutipinna, was described in 1968 from a specimen captured from Isla de la Plata, Ecuador. Since then, there have been no confirmed records of the species. To investigate the contemporary occurrence of this ‘lost shark’, a multi-pronged approach was undertaken. This included a literature review, development of an educational poster, and conducting a small number of informal interviews with fishers in five coastal communities of Manabí province, Ecuador. Half of the fishers interviewed recognized T. acutipinna and reported its capture as recently as 2010-2015. Despite the preliminary nature of the present study, it suggests that the lost shark of Ecuador persists.