Line
Class
kgs |
Line
Class
lbs |
Weight
in
kgs |
Weight
in
lbs. ozs |
Place
of
capture |
Country
of
capture |
Date
of
capture |
Name
of
angler |
TOPE / GALEORHINUS GALEUS |
| 4 |
8 |
22.52 |
49.10 |
Helgoland |
Germany |
170782 |
R. Nuhn |
| 6 |
12 |
21.21 |
46.12 |
Baggy Point |
England |
011084 |
R. White |
| 8 |
16 |
23.90 |
52.11 |
Baggy Point |
England |
161183 |
R. White |
| 10 |
20 |
26.37 |
58.2 |
Baggy Point |
England |
221082 |
R. White |
| 15 |
30 |
29.50 |
65.0 |
Portaferry |
N. Ireland |
290990 |
H. van Loenen |
| *AT |
AT |
37.42 |
82.8 |
Bradwell on Sea |
England |
91 |
R. Chatford |
| SH |
SH |
26.37 |
58.2 |
Baggy Point |
England |
221082 |
R. White |
|
The tope (GALEORHINUS GALEUS) shark occurs in temperate and subtropical seas between 68°N - 55°S latitude. In the western Atlantic Ocean, its range is limited from southern Brazil to Argentina while in the eastern Atlantic it can be found from Iceland to South Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea. In the western Indian Ocean region, the tope shark resides only in waters off South Africa. Distribution in the southwestern Pacific Ocean occurs in waters off Australia and New Zealand while in the eastern Pacific Ocean this shark lives in waters from British Columbia, Canada, south to Baja California (U.S.) and the Gulf of California in Mexico as well as waters off Peru and Chile.
The tope shark is an abundant species that resides in continental and insular waters including shallow bays. It is also found in offshore waters as well as in the surf zone. This shark commonly occurs near the bottom substrate at depths to 1,804 feet (550 m). It also is pelagic in open waters as evidenced by capture on floating longlines in deep waters.
At the higher latitudes in its range, the tope shark is a highly migratory species. In some locations, small schools of tope sharks moved toward the poles during the summer and toward the equator during the cool winter months. These sharks are strong swimmers, capable of swimming up to 35 miles (56 km) per day.
Schools of tope sharks display partial segregation by sex and size. In waters off California (U.S.) during the early 20th century, there was a change in dominance of adult males to adult females from north to south with equal numbers of both sexes in waters off central California. Exceptions to this segregation occurred only at the pupping grounds in southern inshore locations where females dominated.
The tope shark feeds on a variety of fishes including pilchards, herring, sardines, anchovies, salmon, smelt, hake, cod, midshipmen, flyingfish, barracuda, mackerel, tuna, croakers, wrasses, damselfishes, gobies, kelpfish, sole, halibut, scorpionfish, and sculpins. Invertebrate prey items of the tope shark include squid, octopus, crabs, marine snails, and sea urchins.
Information supplied by www.flmnh.ufl.edu
|
