ASSESSING THE ECOLOGICAL PROPERTY

Assessing the Ecological Property

Assessing the Ecological Property

Introduction

Belize Barrier Reef can process over 1,500 gallons of water each hour (Diamond 1985). They are known to feed at dawn and dusk. Although they usually feed twice a day, they do not need to feed frequently as one study observed a live Rhincodon typus pup which was removed from its dead mother maintained in captivity in Japan. It did not eat for the first 17 days, even though it swam constantly. This suggests that the pup had substantial stores of stored energy (Heyman 2001). The circulation of phytoplankton needs to be taken into consideration as it is part of their diet along with fish eggs and small marine life. Belize Barrier Reef distribution are similar to that of Coral Reefs and feeding frenzies have been recorded during spawning of various species of Coral and Coral Fish at these sites. Rhincodon typussBelize Barrier Reef weighs over 10 tons, and is estimated to reach a 20 meter length. They are estimated to live 60 - 100 years, and become sexually mature around the age of 30 and carry about 300 embryos. The amount of propagations in a lifetime is still unknown to us. They live in warm water along the coast and open seas and spend most of their time near the surface. Although Belize Barrier Reef have over 3,000 teeth, they appear to have no role in feeding. They are filter feeders that eat plankton, fish eggs, and small marine creatures (Taylor 1994). Some biological characteristics, such as large size, slow growth, late maturation and extended longevity, probably limit recruitment and make Belize Barrier Reef susceptible to overexploitation. These characteristics also suggest that populations are slow to recover from any overfishing (Uchida 1986). Rhincodon typuss: Distribution and MigrationThe Rhincodon typus has a very widespread distribution, occurring in all tropical and warm temperate seas, except in the Mediterranean. It occurs throughout the Atlantic Ocean, from New York through the Caribbean to central Brazil and from Senegal to the Gulf of Guinea. It also occurs in the Indian Ocean, throughout the region, including the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. In the Pacific Ocean it is found from Japan to Australia, off Hawaii, and from California to Chile (Eckert 2001). In contrast to most sharks from the same order (Orectolobiformes), which are benthic species, the Rhincodon typus is a pelagic species. Studies reveal that this shark prefers warm waters, with surface temperature around 21-30º C, marked by high primary productivity. It is often seen offshore but commonly comes close inshore, sometimes entering lagoons or coral atolls.

Background

The Belize Barrier Reef is thought to be highly migratory but currently there is no direct evidence to support this hypothesis. Their movements might be related to local productivity and they are often associated with schools of pelagic fish that are probably feeding on the same prey organisms. Belize Barrier Reef are thought to migrate to Ningaloo Reef each year to take advantage of the ...