true

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

Elphinstone Reef ISRA

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Elphinstone Reef ISRA

Elphinstone Reef

Summary

Elphinstone Reef is an isolated reef platform and seamount located ~30 km off the Egyptian mainland in the Red Sea. The area includes shallow flats, deep plateaus, reef walls, and open waters. It is characterised by stairstep plateaus down to ~50 m followed by steep walls descending to 400 m. Within this area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (Oceanic Whitetip Shark Carcharhinus longimanus).

Elphinstone Reef

Elphinstone Reef

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Elphinstone Reef is an isolated pinnacle surrounded by deep water located ~30 km off the Egyptian mainland in the Red Sea. This area includes shallow flats, deeper plateaus, reef walls, and open waters (E Bojanowski pers. obs. 2023). The area is characterised by steep walls (extending to 400 m) and a wide plateau between 20 and 40 m depth. The reef walls are dominated by corals and fifteen species of sponges from the class Demospongiae (El-Bossery et al. 2017). The vertical reef walls at Elphinstone are exposed to strong currents (Riegl & Piller 1999).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is pelagic and extends from surface waters (0 m) to 400 m based on the bathymetry of the area and the observation of the Qualifying Species.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

The one Qualifying Species within the area is considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is assessed as Critically Endangered (Rigby et al. 2019).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Elphinstone Reef is an important aggregation area for one shark species.

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks are regularly and predictably observed in aggregations of up to 28 individuals around Elphinstone Reef. The mean aggregation size at Elphinstone Reef is 3.4 individuals although animals can also be seen alone at this site (Shawky & De Maddalena 2013; E Bojanowski unpubl. data 2023). Encounter rates peak in October and November (E Bojanowski unpubl. data 2023). These are the largest known aggregations of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks in the Red Sea and has become a popular site for dive operators (Shawky & De Maddalena 2013). The high abundance of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks at this and other Egyptian sites has been documented for more than 15 years (2004–2019) with 465 individuals (124 males, 256 females, and 85 individuals with sex undetermined) phot-identified at Elphinstone Reef (E Bojanowski unpubl. data 2023). The reason for these seasonal aggregations is not yet understood, and further information is needed to understand their function.

Elphinstone Reef

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