true

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

Malindi-Ungwana Bay ISRA

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Malindi-Ungwana Bay ISRA

Malindi-Ungwana Bay

Summary

Malindi-Ungwana Bay is located on the northern coast of Kenya in eastern Africa. The area is characterised by muddy and sandy substrates, with mangroves, seagrass beds, and rocky areas. It has freshwater input from two rivers, Sabaki and Tana, which form an estuary and a delta, respectively. This area overlaps with two protected areas, the Tana River Delta Ramsar Site, the Tana River Delta Key Biodiversity Area, and the Lamu-Kiunga Area Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area. Within the area there are: threatened species (e.g., Whitespotted Wedgefish Rhynchobatus djiddensis); range-restricted species (e.g., Speckled Catshark Halaelurus boesemani); and reproductive areas (e.g., Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini).

Malindi-Ungwana Bay

Malindi-Ungwana Bay

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Malindi-Ungawana Bay is located on the north coast of Kenya in the Kilifi and Tana River counties. The area is characterised by muddy and sandy substrates, with patches of seagrass and seaweed, and some rocky areas (Fulanda 2003; Fondo et al. 2022). This bay is one of the most productive marine areas in Kenya as a result of the mangrove forests surrounding the bay and freshwater input from two rivers, Sabaki and Tana, that drain from a large part of the central and eastern regions of Kenya. The Tana River forms a delta while the Sabaki River forms an estuary. This area has a narrow continental shelf in the south (~15 km) but a wider shelf in the north around Kipini (~60 km).

The bay is influenced by the northeast (November–March) and southeast (April–October) monsoon winds that causes changes in water movements, salinity, and productivity (Ndoro et al. 2015).

The area overlaps with the Tana River Delta Ramsar Site (Ramsar 2023) which is also a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA 2023) and with the Lamu-Kiunga Area Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA; CBD 2023). In addition, it overlaps with Kiunga Marine National Reserve in the north and Malindi Marine National Park in the south.

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 210 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

Three Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM regularly occur in the area. These are the Critically Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead (Rigby et al. 2019) and Whitespotted Wedgefish (Kyne et al. 2019), and the Vulnerable Speckled Catshark (Kyne et al. 2017).

CRITERION B

RANGE RESTRICTED

This area holds the regular presence of three shark and one ray species as range-restricted species. Speckled Catshark, Grinning Izak Catshark, African Angelshark, and Elaine’s Skate occur year-round in the bay and are regularly caught and landed as bycatch of the prawn trawlers operating in the bay (Kaunda-Arara 2022; L Menya pers. comm. 2023). Observer data show that the species have been caught consistently by prawn trawlers in variable numbers since 2002.

Speckled Catsharks represented ~45% (n = 1,555) of the shark bycatch in the area between 2019–2021 making it the most caught bycatch species (Kiilu et al. 2019; Kaunda-Arara 2022; L Menya pers. comm. 2023). Some unconfirmed records previously reported its occurrence in Kenya (Compagno 1988). These reports were confirmed by observations from the Kenyan trawl catches (Kiilu et al. 2019; Kaunda-Arara 2022; L Menya pers. comm. 2023). This species is restricted to the Somali Coastal Current Large Marine Ecosystem (LME).

Grinning Izak Catsharks represented ~5% (n = 58) of the 2019–2021 shark bycatch in the area (Kaunda-Arara 2022; L Menya pers. comm. 2023). The species is restricted to the Somali Coastal Current and the Agulhas Current LMEs.

African Angelsharks represented 10% of shark bycatch in the area (n = 347) and is caught year-round (L Menya pers. comm. 2023). Between 2012–2013, four individuals were also caught on demersal research trawls in the area (Kiilu 2016; Kiilu et al. 2019). This species occurs in the Somali Coastal Current and the Agulhas Current LMEs.

Elaine’s Skate is currently caught year-round as bycatch in trawlers operating in the area with 49 individuals recorded between 2019–2020 at depths between 187–208 m (L Menya pers. comm. 2023). This species is endemic to Kenya (Ebert & Leslie 2019) and occurs exclusively within the Somali Coastal Current LME.

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C1 – REPRODUCTIVE AREAS

Malindi-Ungwana Bay is an important reproductive area for one shark and one ray species.

Scalloped Hammerhead are the most caught shark species in semi-industrial prawn trawls and artisanal fisheries operating in the area (Kiilu 2016; Oddenyo 2017; Kiilu et al. 2019) and are caught year-round in the Ungwana part of the bay. Individuals between 28–63 cm total length (TL) are commonly caught in the area (Kaunda-Arara 2016; Kiilu 2016; Oddenyo 2017; Kiilu et al. 2019; CORDIO unpubl. data 2023; B Kaunda-Arara unpubl. data 2023). These individuals are neonates (also supported by the presence of umbilical scars at different stages of healing) and young-of-the-year (YOY) since reported size-at-birth for the species is 31–57 cm TL (Ebert et al. 2021). Between 2012–2013, 78 individuals (46–63 cm TL) were recorded in the area and landed in Kipini, while between 2014–2015, 397 individuals (28–54 cm TL) were recorded (Kiilu 2016; Oddenyo 2017; Kiilu et al. 2019). Between May to December 2018, individuals between 35–98 cm TL (mean = 54.7 cm, n = 153) were recorded in the area (CORDIO unpubl. data 2023). Between 2019–2020, 181 individuals were caught by prawn trawlers. In addition, these sharks are commonly caught in longlines and gillnets in lagoon seagrass habitats at depths < 10 m. Neonates and YOY are caught during the southeast monsoon season from April to October (Kaunda-Arara 2016; Wambiji et al. 2022; B Kaunda-Arara unpubl. data 2023). This species occurs in other parts of Kenya (Kiilu et al. 2019), however, Malindi-Ungwana Bay is the area where most neonates and YOY are captured.

Whitespotted Wedgefish are commonly caught as bycatch in prawn trawlers, with individuals caught measuring 23–210 cm TL (Kaunda-Arara 2022; L Menya unpubl. data 2023). Between 2019–2021, 24 individuals between 23–60 cm TL were recorded caught in the area and these individuals were considered neonates based on the reported size-at-birth for the species (~60 cm TL; Last et al. 2016). The high productivity of the bay facilitated by soft substrates caused mostly by river terrigenous inputs provide a suitable habitat for these life stages. Neonate Whitespotted Wedgefish have not been reported in any other sites on the Kenyan coast (B Kaunda-Arara pers. comm. 2023).

Malindi-Ungwana Bay

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