Feeding ecology, diet, and nutrition in white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the western north Atlantic

Citation

Hoopes LA. 2021. Feeding ecology, diet, and nutrition in white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the western north Atlantic. In Brooks M, Koutsos E, and Henry B Eds. Proceedings of the Fourteenth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition Foundation and AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Virtual.

Abstract

Sharks are important apex predators that help manage the balance of the ocean ecosystems through top-down pressures influencing species abundance and ecological community structure. Shark populations have declined drastically over the past several decades due to overfishing, bycatch, finning, poaching, and climate change. Because of the collapse of many shark populations, numerous fish stocks have become unbalanced leading to disruptions in lower food webs. This has global consequences as it can affect human food supply, resources, and economics in an ever-growing population. Understanding the feeding ecology and diet of sharks is important for evaluating the consequences of their absence which can help leverage policy and management decisions to better protect these species.

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