An evaluation of body condition and morphometric relationships within southern California juvenile white sharks Carcharodon carcharias

Abstract

Length, mass and girth relationships are presented for 112 juvenile white sharks (JWS) Carcharodon carcharias caught in the Southern California Bight (SCB) nursery area between June 2008 and August 2017. No difference was found between male and female JWS length–mass relationships, but data suggest that JWS in the SCB gain more mass per unit length for the juvenile size classes compared with other C. carcharias populations. Condition‐factor‐to‐liver‐mass and condition‐factor‐to‐liver‐lipid‐content relationships revealed that length and mass ( i.e. , condition factor) can be used as a non‐invasive proxy for body condition for juveniles of this species. The parameters estimated in this study are key information for population assessments of juvenile C. carcharias in the north‐east Pacific Ocean and will contribute to the conservation and management of this IUCN Red List Vulnerable species.

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