Identifying and monitoring nursery habitats is crucial for shark conservation, especially for species threatened with extinction. The aim of this study was to explore inter- and intra-annual changes (between 2016 and 2025) in the abundance, size, and sex ratio of the poorly studied, endemic, and endangered Atlantic weasel shark ( Paragaleus pectoralis ) in the nursery of Sal Rei Bay (Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde) and investiga...

The northeast Atlantic Ocean contains multiple habitats considered critical for shark conservation, including nursery areas, migratory corridors and aggregation sites. In this context, updating knowledge on shark diversity and the threats affecting them in this region is essential to defining priorities and implementing the right management and conservation measures. Here, we show that Cabo Verde, Canarias, Madeira and Azores...

This study describes the first potential multi-species shark nursery area in Atlantic Africa (Sal Rei Bay – SRB, Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde). From August 2016 to September 2019, 6162 neonates and juveniles of 5 different shark species were observed in SRB using beach gillnet-based bycatch surveys, namely milk ( Rhizoprionodon acutus ; n= 4908), scalloped hammerhead ( Sphyrna lewini ; n= 1035), blacktip ( Carcharhinus limbatu...

Cleaning symbioses play an important role in the health of certain coastal marine communities. These interspecific associations often occur at specific sites (cleaning stations) where a cleaner organism (commonly a fish or shrimp) removes ectoparasites/damaged tissue from a ‘client’ (a larger cooperating fish). At present, the potential impact of climate change on the fitness of cleaner organisms remains unknown. This study in...