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Seasonal trends in whale shark Rhincodon typus sightings in an established tourism site in the Gulf of California, Mexico
Author(s) -
Whitehead Darren Andrew,
Petatán Ramírez David,
Olivier Damien,
Gonzalez Armas Rogelio,
Pancaldi Francesca,
GalvanMagana Felipe
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.14106
Subject(s) - whale , fishery , biology , seasonal breeder , geography , ecology
The number of individual whale shark Rhincodon typus sightings registered October 2015–March 2018 in Bahia de La Paz, Mexico, ranged from 73 to 129 animals per season (total 1662), with the majority of them identified as males. Density plot maps showed high correlations in sightings between sample seasons and revealed potential hotspot areas. Our study provides an essential baseline of information for the management of whale shark conservation and the associated touristic activities in the region.