Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T01:03:21.592Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The development of robust morphometric indices from accurate and precise measurements of free-swimming whale sharks using laser photogrammetry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2012

G.L. Jeffreys ,
D. Rowat ,
H. Marshall  and
K. Brooks
G.L. Jeffreys*
Affiliation:
Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DAUK Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles, PO Box 1299, Victoria, Seychelles
D. Rowat
Affiliation:
Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles, PO Box 1299, Victoria, Seychelles
H. Marshall
Affiliation:
Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DAUK
K. Brooks
Affiliation:
Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles, PO Box 1299, Victoria, Seychelles Department of Environment, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
*
Corresponence should be addressed to: G.L. Jeffreys, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, UK email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

To enable the study of population dynamics of wild animals the determination of the age, growth rate and maturity status of a sample of the individuals present is required; consequently, obtaining repeated accurate and precise total length (TL) measurements for individuals over time can be especially valuable. However, there are limited easily applied methods to ascertain the TL of large free-swimming fish, especially the largest extant species of fish, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). This study expands on previous work and presents the results of a robust laser photogrammetry system developed to achieve accurate TL, pre-caudal length (PCL) and further morphometric measurements of whale sharks observed between 2009 and 2011 in seasonal feeding aggregations located in the Seychelles and Djibouti. Calculations for repeatability (r) indicated a high level of precision for the system with r approaching 1 for both TL and PCL, increasing further with the use of morphometric measurements. TL measurements of ‘straight sample sharks’ also provided geometric mean linear regression equations to enable the prediction of TL from defined morphological indices. Continuous validation of the system against objects of a fixed length also indicated a high level of accuracy for the method of measurement. We concluded that the laser photogrammetry system can be confidently employed to obtain accurate in-water TL, PCL and morphometric measurements for R. typus, with wide ranging implications and applications for the study of R. typus, and other large marine fauna.

Keywords

Rhincodon typusallometrysize estimationlaser metrics
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Special Issue 2: Fish and Fisheries , March 2013 , pp. 309 - 320
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Arzoumanian, Z., Holmberg, J. and Norman, B. (2005) An astronomical pattern-matching algorithm for computer-aided identification of whale sharks Rhincodon typus . Journal of Applied Ecology 42, 999–1011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bass, A.J. (1973) Analysis and description of variation in the proportional dimensions of scyiorhinid, carcharhinid and sphyrnid sharks. South African Association of Marine Biology Research and Oceanographic Research Institute, Investigation Report 32, 1–28.Google Scholar
Bergeron, P. (2007) Parallel lasers for remote measurements of morphological traits. Journal of Wildlife Management 71, 289–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, C.J.A. (2007) Swimming in the deep end of the gene pool—global population structure of an oceanic giant. Molecular Ecology 16, 5111–5113.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bradshaw, C.J.A., Fitzpatrick, B.M., Steinberge, C.C., Brook, B.B. and Meekan, M.G. (2008) Decline in whale shark size and abundance at Ningaloo Reef over the past decade: the world's largest fish is getting smaller. Biological Conservation 141, 1894–1905.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, C.J.A., Mollet, H.F. and Meekan, M.G. (2007) Inferring population trends for the world's largest fish from mark–recapture estimates of survival. Journal of Animal Ecology 76, 480–489.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Breuer, T., Robbins, M.M. and Boesch, C. (2006) Using photogrammetry and color scoring to assess sexual dimorphism in wild western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla). American Journal of Physical Anthropology 134, 369–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brooks, K.S., Rowat, D., Pierce, S.J., Jouannet, D. and Vely, M. (2010) Seeing spots…. photo identification as a regional tool for whale shark identification. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 9, 19–28.Google Scholar
Cailliet, G.M., Smith, W.D., Mollet, H.F. and Goldman, K.J. (2006) Age and growth studies of chondrichthyan fishes: the need for consistency in terminology, verification, validation, and growth function fitting. Environmental Biology of Fishes 77, 211–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castro, A.L.F., Stewart, B.S., Wilson, S.G., Hueter, R.E., Meekan, M.G., Motta, P.J., Bowen, B.W. and Karl, S.A. (2007) Population genetic structure of Earth's largest fish, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Molecular Ecology 16, 5183–5192.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chang, W.B., Leu, M.Y. and Fang, L.S. (1997) Embryos of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, early growth and size distribution. Copeia 2, 444–446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CITES (2002) Adopted amendments to Appendices I and II of the Convention. 12th Conference of Parties to CITES, Santiago, Chile: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Available at: http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/index.shtml (accessed 20 June 2012).Google Scholar
CMS (2005) Recommendation 8.16 / Rev2 for the conservation of migratory sharks. 8th Council of Parties, Nairobi: UNEP/CMS. Available at: http://www.cms.int/bodies/COP/cop8/cop8_meeting_docs.htm (accessed 20 June 2012).Google Scholar
Costa, C., Loy, A., Cataudella, S., Davis, D. and Sardi, M. (2006) Extracting fish size using dual underwater cameras. Aquacultural Engineering 35, 218–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deakos, M.H. (2010) Paired-laser photogrammetry as a simple and accurate system for measuring the body size of free-ranging manta rays Manta alfredi . Aquatic Biology 10, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durban, J.W. and Parsons, K.M. (2006) Laser-metrics of free-ranging killer whales. Marine Mammal Science 22, 735–743.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ecopacifico (2010) Lengths used on sharks. Responses—Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Bycatch Working Group. Available at: http://www.ecopacifico.org/BaseDatos/Lengths%20used%20on%20sharks_%20Responses.doc (accessed 20 June 2012).Google Scholar
Garrick, J.A.F. (1960) Studies on New Zealand elasmobranchii. Part XII. The species of Squalus from New Zealand; and a general account and key to the New Zealand Squaloidea. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 88, 519–557.Google Scholar
Gingras, M.L., Ventresca, D.A. and McGonigal, R.H. (1998) In-situ videography calibrated with two parallel lasers for calculation of fish length. California Fish and Game 84, 36–39.Google Scholar
Gleiss, A.C., Norman, B. and Wilson, R.P. (2011) Moved by that sinking feeling: variable diving geometry underlies movement strategies in whale sharks. Functional Ecology 25, 595–607.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, R. and Roberts, C.M. (2007) Assessing the size, growth rate and structure of a seasonal population of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus Smith 1828) using conventional tagging and photo identification. Fisheries Research 84, 71–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, N.G., Smith, K.D., de Lestang, S. and Potter, I.C. (2006) Does the largest chela of the males of three crab species undergo an allometric change that can be used to determine morphometric maturity? ICES Journal of Marine Science 63, 140–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, E., Cappo, M., Shortis, M., Robson, S., Buchanan, J. and Speare, P. (2003) The accuracy and precision of underwater measurements of length and maximum body depth of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) with a stereo-video camera system. Fisheries Research 63, 315–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmberg, J., Norman, B. and Arzoumanian, Z. (2009) Estimating population size, structure, and residency time for whale sharks Rhincodon typus through collaborative photo-identification. Endangered Species Research 7, 39–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huxley, J.S. (1932) Problems of relative growth. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Katsanevakis, S., Thessalou-Legaki, M., Karlou-Riga, C., Lefkaditou, E., Dimitriou, E. and Verriopoulos, G. (2007) Information-theory approach to allometric growth of marine organisms. Marine Biology 151, 949–959.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohler, N.E., Casey, J.G. and Turner, P.A. (1995) Length–weight relationships for 13 species of sharks from the western North Atlantic. Fisheries Bulletin 93, 412–418.Google Scholar
Koski, W.R., Davis, R.A., Miller, G.W. and Withrow, D.E. (1992) Growth rates of bowhead whales as determined from low-level aerial photogrammetry. Report of the International Whaling Commission 42, 491–499.Google Scholar
Laws, E.A. and Archic, J.W. (1981) Appropriate use of regression analysis in marine biology. Marine Biology 65, 13–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lessels, C.M. and Boag, P.T. (1987) Unrepeatable repeatabilities: a common mistake. Auk 104, 116–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, R.A. (2007) A review of behavioural ecology of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). Fisheries Research 84, 10–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McArdle, B.H. (1988) The structural relationship: regression in biology. Canadian Jourrnal of Zoology 66, 2329–2339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McArdle, B.H. (2003) Lines, models, and errors: regression in the field. Limnology and Oceanography 48, 1363–1366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meekan, M.G., Bradshaw, C.J.A., Press, M., McLean, C., Richards, A., Quasnichka, S. and Taylor, J.A. (2006) Population size and structure of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 319, 275–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mollet, H.F. and Cailliet, G.M. (1996) Using allometry to predict body mass from linear measurements of the white shark. In Klimley, A.P. and Ainley, D.G. (eds) Great white sharks, the biology of Carcharodon carcharias . San Diego, CA: Academic Press, Inc, pp. 81–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muljowidodo, K., Rasyid, M.A., SaptoAdi, N. and Budiyono, A. (2009) Vision based distance measurement system using single laser pointer design for underwater vehicle. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences 38, 324–331.Google Scholar
Musick, J.A. (1999) Ecology and conservation of long-lived marine animals. American Fisheries Society Symposium 23, 1–10.Google Scholar
Norman, B. and Stevens, J.D. (2007) Size and maturity status of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. Fisheries Research 84, 81–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riley, M.J., Hale, M.S., Harman, A. and Rees, R.G. (2010) Analysis of whale shark Rhincodon typus aggregations near South Ari Atoll, Maldives Archipelago. Aquatic Biology 8, 145–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rohner, C.A., Richardson, A.J., Marshall, A.D., Weeks, S.J. and Pierce, S.J. (2011) How large is the world's largest fish? Measuring whale sharks Rhincodon typus with laser photogrammetry. Journal of Fish Biology 78, 378–385.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ross, T.K. and Lima, G.M. (1994) Measures of allometric growth: the relationship of shell length, shell height, and volume to ash-free dry weight in the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha Pallas and the quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis Andrusov. In Proceedings of the Fourth International Zebra Mussel Conference, Madison, Wisconsin. [Abstract.]Google Scholar
Rothman, J.M., Chapman, C.A., Twinomugisha, D., Wasserman, M.D., Lambert, J.E. and Goldberg, T.L. (2008) Measuring physical traits of primates remotely; the use of parallel lasers. American Journal of Primatology 70, 1–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowat, D. and Gore, M. (2007) Regional scale horizontal and local scale vertical movements of whale sharks in the Indian Ocean off Seychelles. Fisheries Research 84, 32–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowat, D., Speed, C.W., Meekan, M.G., Gore, M. and Bradshaw, C.J.A. (2009) Population abundance and apparent survival estimates of the Seychelles whale shark aggregation. Oryx 43, 591–598.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowe, L.E. and Dawson, S.M. (2009) Determining the sex of bottlenose dolphins from Doubtful Sound using dorsal fin photographs. Marine Mammal Science 25, 19–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, J.V., Schmidt, L.V., Ozer, F., Ernst, R.E., Feldheim, K.A., Ashley, M.V. and Levine, M. (2009) Low genetic differentiation across three major ocean populations of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus . PLoS One 4, e4988.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schrader, A.M., Ferreira, S.M. and Aarde, R.J.V. (2006) Digital photogrammetry and laser rangefinder techniques to measure African elephants. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 36, 1–7.Google Scholar
Shortis, M., Harvey, E. and Abdo, D. (2009) A review of underwater stereo-image measurement for marine biology and ecology applications. Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review 47, 257–292.Google Scholar
Sleeman, J.C., Meekan, M.G., Stewart, B.S., Wilson, S.G., Polovina, J.D., Stevens, J.D., Boggs, G.S. and Bradshaw, C.J.A. (2010) To go or not to go with the flow: environmental influences on whale shark movement patterns. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 390, 84–98 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, A. (1828) Description of new, or imperfectly known objects of the animal kingdom, found in the south of Africa. In South African Commercial Advertiser Vol. 3 3 pp.Google Scholar
Smith, R.J. (2009) Use and misuse of the reduced major axis for line-fitting. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 140, 476–486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Speed, C.W., Meekan, M.G. and Bradshaw, C.J.A. (2007) Spot the match—wildlife photo-identification using information theory. Frontiers in Zoology 4, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stevens, J.D. (2007) Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) biology and ecology: a review of the primary literature. Fisheries Research 84, 4–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strauss, R.E. and Fuiman, L.A. (1985) Quantitative comparisons of body form and allometry in larval and adult Pacific sculpins (Teleostei: Cottidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology 63, 1582–1589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uchida, S., Toda, M., Kamei, Y. and Teruya, H. (2000) The husbandry of 16 whale sharks Rhincodon typus, from 1980 to 1998 at the Okinawa expo aquarium. In Abstracts of the American Elasmobranch Society 16th Annual Meeting, June 14–20, 2000, La Paz, Mexico.Google Scholar
Van Tienhoven, A.M., Den Hartog, J.E., Reijns, R. and Peddemors, V.M. (2007) A computer-aided program for pattern-matching of natural marks of the spotted ragged-tooth shark Carcharias taurus (Rafinesque, 1810). Journal of Applied Ecology 44, 273–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, T., Dawson, S. and Slooten, E. (2010) A simple laser photogrammetry technique for measuring Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in the field. Marine Mammal Science 26, 296–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wintner, S.P. (2000) Preliminary study of vertebral growth rings in the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, from the east coast of South Africa. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59, 441–451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yoklavich, M.M., Greene, G.G., Sullivan, D.E., Lea, R.N. and Love, M.S. (2000) Habitat association of deepwater rockfishes in a submarine canyon. Fishery Bulletin 98, 625–641.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(File)
File 54.3 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 1

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 656.3 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 2

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 982.6 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 3

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 1.1 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 4

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 498.3 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 5

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 302.2 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 6

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 286.1 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 7

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 828.1 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 8

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 809.9 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 9

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 715.1 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Jeffreys Supplementary Material

Figure 10

Download Jeffreys Supplementary Material(Image)
Image 576.3 KB