English

- Isurus paucus
The species is rare in the area. It is accidentally caught.
14
GFCM:SAC13/2011/Dma2
- Squatina aculeata and S. Squatina
These two species occurred along all Mediterranean coasts. However we think these
squatinidae are disappearing from several areas
- Squalus acanthias
The species occurs along the occidental basin coasts and only along the north coast of oriental
basin of the Mediterranean Sea. The species is abundant in Black Sea (Avsar, D. 2001;
Ademürhan & Seyhan, 2006).
- Centroscymnus coelolepis
The occurrence of this species may be restricted to the north occidental basin. According our
investigations and also in the literature: no mention of this species along the North African
coasts.
- Alopias superciliosus
The species may occupy all the Mediterranean Sea. It was observed in Syria (Saad et al.,
2004), the Ionian Sea and Levantine basin (Megalofonou et al., 2005; Golani, 2005).
- Rhinobatos cemiculus / R. rhinobatos
These two species are common off the south coasts of the Med but no observed along the
north ones (no recorded in MEDITS campaigns) (Bertrand et al., 2000; Baino et al., 2001).
-Dasyatis marmorata
Capapé (1989) suggested that in southern Tunisian waters, D. marmorata undergoes
competitive pressure from related dasyatid species. Consequently, it inhabits restricted areas
in the Gulf of Gabès, entering a closed hyperhaline lagoon, the Bahiret el Biban (Capapé &
Zaouali, 1992, 1993, 1995). Nowadays, this species extends it distribution area (Enajjar,
2009; El Kamel et al., 2009; Golani and Capapé, 2004)
II-3 Critical habitats
Critical habitats should be identified for conservation porpoises. In fact, a big lack of
knowledge on critical habitats of this group was noted in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
However, some mapping of nursery areas and spawning ground for some species being
carried out by some countries.
Some areas are considered critical habitat for chondrichthyans. For example, Tunisian waters
provide a nursery area for white shark Carcharodon carcharias. Aggregations of basking
shark Cetorhinus maximus, have been observed in the northern Balearic region, the Northern
Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian Sea (Walker et al. 2005). Tunisian waters provide a nursery areas
for great white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Centre of Tunisia) and for the sandbar shark
Carcharhinus plumbeus (Bradai et al., 2005) (gulf of Gabes - south of Tunisia). This area