The Goblin Sharks Fish

           The goblin shark, is a deep-sea shark, the sole living species in the family is found in the deep ocean, far below where the sun's light can reach at depths greater than 200 m. They can be found throughout the world, from Australia in the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean. They are best known from the waters around Japan, where the species was first discovered. Goblin sharks feed on a variety of organisms that live in deep waters. Among some of their known prey are deep-sea squid, crabs, and deep -sea fish. Very little is known about the species' life history and reproductive habits, as encounters with them have been relatively rare. As seemingly rare as they are however, there seems to be no real threat to their populations and so they are not classified as endangered species by the IUCN. wo new species of tapeworm were discovered in a specimen captured off Australia

            Male Goblin sharks commonly grow between 2.4 and 3.1 m (7.9 and 10 ft) long and females between 3.1 3.5 m (10 11 ft). The largest verified specimen was 3.9 m (13 ft) and weighed 210 kg (460 lb), although one unusual specimen was estimated to measure an enormous 6.2m (20ft). The pink coloration, unique among sharks, is due to blood vessels underneath a semitransparent skin (which bruises easily), thereby causing the colouring. The fins have a bluish appearance. Goblin sharks lack a nictitating membrane. They have no precaudal pit and no keels. The front teeth are long and smooth-edged, while the rear teeth are adapted for crushing. Up to 25% of the goblin shark's body weight can be its liver. The goblin shark

The Mekong Giant Catfish

        Mekong Giant Catfish as fishermen continue to catch and sell the fish despite the fact that the species is critically endangered. The Tonle Sap River bagnet (dai) fishery is one of the two places where wild Giant Catfish are caught on a regular basis. Without regulation, fishing mortality from bagnets equals approximately 5-10 fish per year. 

           The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme (MWBP), in cooperation with the Cambodian Department of Fisheries and the MRC Fisheries Programme, is reimplementing a Giant Catfish tag and release project in Cambodia in order to study the migratory behaviour of P. gigas. The tag and release programme was first implemented in 2001. The fish caught in the dais are bought from the dai operators, tagged and released. This buy and release approach provides a low cost, short-term solution to fishing mortality. The scheme does not harm the fisher’s livelihood and provides an opportunity for additional research 

      Mekong Giant Catfish captured in the Tonle Sap River bagnet fishery and Tonle Sap Lake fishing lots, October – December 2004. Of the five Giant Catfish captured in the dai, one died before release because the bagnet owners would not sell the fish to the Department of Fisheries and two died after release, presumably due to capture stress. 

The Alligator Gar Fish

            Alligator gar Atractosteus spatula is the largest freshwater fish in Texas and one of the largest species in North America, yet has received little attention from anglers or fisheries managers. Although gars (family Lepisosteidae) have long been considered a threat to sport fishes in the United States (summarized by Scarnecchia 1992), attitudes are changing. Recreational fisheries for alligator gar are increasing, and anglers from around the world now travel to Texas for the opportunity to catch a trophy. Because little data exist, it is unknown how current exploitation is affecting size structure and abundance of alligator gar in Texas. In many areas, alligator gar populations are declining (Robinson and Buchanan 1988; Etnier and Starnes 1993; Pflieger 1997; Ferrara 2001). Concerns by biologists and anglers about alligator gar populations in Texas have led the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to consider management options for this species. In addition to this review, the TPWD has recently initiated several studies to learn more about Texas alligator gar populations. The purposes of this document are to 1) summarize alligator gar life history and ecology, 2) assess alligator gar status and management activities throughout their range, and 3) make recommendations for future alligator gar management in Texas.

          Life History In the United States, alligator gar spawn from April through June (Etnier and Starnes 1993; Ferrara 2001), coinciding with seasonal flooding of bottomland swamps (Suttkus 1963). Documented reports of alligator gar spawning are limited, though it is thought to occur in flooded backwater areas (Mendoza Alfaro et al. 2008). Spawning was recently observed in a shallow, vegetated-backwater area of Lake Texoma, Oklahoma. Snedden et al. (1999) found that lateral spawning migrations of spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus onto floodplain areas were correlated with increased river stage and increased temperature. Because spawning is likely 2 linked to seasonal flooding, successful recruitment may be infrequent. Fecundity of alligator gar is highly variable, with means of 157,000 eggs per female and 4.1 eggs/g body weight (Ferrara 2001).

           Juvenile alligator gar likely remain in backwater spawning areas as they develop. Sakaris et al. (2003) reported that tagged juvenile alligator gar demonstrated strong site fidelity to protected backwater areas and remained near their site of capture (thought to be a spawning area), whereas adults were more mobile. Robertson et al. (2008) also captured juvenile alligator gar from backwater oxbow habitats, whereas adults were collected in the river channel. Ferrara (2001) hypothesized that juvenile alligator gar utilize shallow embayments and tributaries, and suggested that identification and protection of such nursery areas may be critical to the recovery of alligator gar populations in areas with limited nursery habitats.