16- Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area 



and located. Figure 21 will show you how to distinguish 

 between the male and female shark. You should then 

 compare your shark with Key I. This key is devoted 

 entirely to the identification of the 8 most numerous 

 species of the smaller sharks to be found in the Carib- 

 bean area. These are Requiem sharks, members of the 

 genus Eulamia. Since probably more than 50% of all 

 the sharks more than 4 to 5 feet long that are caught in 

 the Caribbean are Eulamias of one kind or another, it is 

 very possible that your shark can be identified as one 

 of this group. 



If your shark has the features listed in this key which 

 are to be found in all Eulamias, you should decide what 

 further distinctive features it has. If, for example, your 

 shark has a distinct ridge along its back between the first 

 and second dorsal fins ("A" in the key) and the free rear 

 tip of its second dorsal fin is more than twice the height 

 of the fin ("I" in the key), it will be either the Silky 

 Shark or Eulamia falciformis. These two sharks are dis- 

 tinguished from each other by certain differences in ap- 

 pearance, which are also noted in the key. Or if, for ex- 

 ample, your shark has this distinct ridge along its back 

 as above but the free rear tip of its second dorsal is 

 much less than twice as long as the height of the fin 

 ("2" in the key), it will be either the White-Tipped 

 Shark, the Dusty Shark or the Brown Shark. These 

 also are distinguished from each other in the key. 



If, on the other hand, the shark does not have all of 

 the features which are common to Eulamias, you should 

 turn immediately to Key II and follow a similar proce- 

 dure. This key gives the chief distinguishing features 

 of the remaining important species which are to be found 

 in the Caribbean region. Here, all sharks with an anal 

 fin are classified under I; all without this fin, under II. 

 Those with an anal fin, 5 gill openings and an ordinary 

 shaped head are fisted under I C 1, while all with an 

 anal fin, 5 gill openings and a hammer head are under 

 I C 2, and so forth throughout the key. 



When you have identified the shark, turn to the corre- 

 sponding Figure, the number of which has been given 

 in the keys. The Figure shows an outline drawing of the 



