Multiple Paternity of Shortfin Mako Shark

In the present study, we successfully reevaluated the mating system of and multiple paternity in Isurus oxyrinchus. Paternity tests of three litters as bycatch from a longline fishery operating in the area between Taiwan and mainland Japan showed that an average of 4.6 sires were assigned to each litter of I. oxyrinchus by COLONY software, and that the average number of sires dropped to 2.5 when using GERUD. These findings suggest that multiple paternity could be a common reproductive strategy used by the shortfin mako shark, and that this mating system should be integrated into a demographic model to make more accurate population projections and risk analyses in the future.

Photo of a female Isurus oxyrinchus as bycatch at Nanfangao Fishing Port (Photo provided by Dr. Hua-Hsun Hsu)

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