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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on July 21, 2007
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2007 64(6):1272-1281; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsm111
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© 2007 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Quantitative diet assessment of wobbegong sharks (genus Orectolobus) in New South Wales, Australia

Charlie Huveneers1,, Nicholas M. Otway2, Susan E. Gibbs1 and Robert G. Harcourt1

1 Marine Mammal Research Group, Graduate School of the Environment, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
2 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Centre, Taylors Beach Road, Taylors Beach, NSW 2316, Australia

Correspondence to C. Huveneers: tel: +61 2 9850 7980; fax: +61 2 9850 7972; e-mail: charlie.huveneers{at}gse.mq.edu.au

Huveneers, C., Otway, N. M., Gibbs, S. E., and Harcourt, R. G. 2007. Quantitative diet assessment of wobbegong sharks (genus Orectolobus) in New South Wales, Australia. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 1272–1281.

The diets of three species of wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus, O. maculatus, and O. halei) in New South Wales, Australia, were investigated using stomach contents from specimens caught by commercial fishers. Some 80% of wobbegongs caught by commercial setline, and 60% caught by trap or scuba diving, had empty stomachs, most likely due to regurgitation. Wobbegongs were frequently hooked in the stomach (80–90% of the catch), potentially contributing to the greater proportion of empty stomachs compared with other species of shark. The diet of all three species was primarily osteichthyans, but with some cephalopods and chondrichthyans. Interspecific differences in the diets were related to total length of the shark. Octopuses were more frequent in the diet of O. ornatus (dwarf ornate wobbegong) than other wobbegong species, possibly through the smaller adult size facilitating capture of octopuses in small holes/crevices. Orectolobus halei fed more frequently on pelagic species and chondrichthyans, possibly because of their greater mobility. Wobbegongs feed at a high trophic level, and their removal from their ecosystem may impact lower trophic levels.

Keywords: commercial fishery, diet, New South Wales, Orectolobus, wobbegongs

Received 30 October 2006; accepted 7 June 2007; advance access publication 21 July 2007.


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