Previous research has indicated species-specific stress responses in sharks. To assess the biochemical effects of net capture and restraint, nineteen serum constituents were measured in three species of sharks: bonnethead, Sphyrna tiburo (Linnaeus, 1758), n = 36; blacktip, Carcharhinus limbatus (Muller and Henle, 1841), n = 33; and bull, C. leucas (Muller and Henle, 1841), n = 27. Sharks were captured in gill nets placed at various locations along the southwest coast of Florida between April and July, 1994. Stress level of each animal was judged in five categories using an index of behavioral response to capture and restraint devised for use in tag-recapture studies. These categories ranged from level I "minimal stress response" to level 5 "moribund or dead". The serum constituents assayed included: glucose, creatinine, uric acid, sodium, chloride, potassium, inorganic phosphorus, total and ionized calcium, total protein, albumin, globulin, alkaline phosphatase, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase; aspartate aminotransferase, triglycerides, cholesterol, and total iron. Hematocrit was also measured for each sample. There were significant intraspecific differences in several serum constituent values for all three species. With increased stress, S. tiburo had increased potassium, inorganic phosphorus, uric acid, alkaline phosphatase and lactate and decreased glucose levels (P 0.05 ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis). C. limbatus had increased uric acid, potassium, lactate, total and ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (P C. leucas had increased potassium, inorganic phosphorus, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate and decreased glucose levels (P
| Date of Award | Jan 1 1995 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Richard Spieler (Supervisor), Richard E. Dodge (Advisor), Robert Hueter (Advisor) & Charles Manire (Advisor) |
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