true

ISRA FACTSHEETS

ASIA REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

ASIA REGION

Burma Banks ISRA

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Burma Banks ISRA

Burma Banks

Summary

Burma Banks is located 125 km offshore of the Myanmar coast in the Andaman Sea. The area consists of a collection of submerged plateaus with coral reefs ranging in depth between 12–30 m, with surrounding waters sloping down to 300 m. The key reefs in the Burma Banks consist of Rainbow Reef, Heckford Bank, Roe Bank, and Silvertip Bank. Within this area there are: threatened species and resting areas (Tawny Nurse Shark Nebrius ferrugineus).

Burma Banks

Burma Banks

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Burma Banks is located 125 km offshore of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea. This split area consists of a collection of submerged plateaus with coral reefs ranging in depth between 12–30 m, with surrounding waters sloping down to 300 m. The key reefs in the Burma Banks consist of Rainbow Reef, Heckford Bank, Roe Bank, and Silvertip Bank. Due to its distance from land, the area is exposed to strong wind and currents, and is subsequently only visited by SCUBA divers and recreational fishers during the calmer months of December to April.

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 75 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

The one Qualifying Species within the area is considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Tawny Nurse Shark is assessed as Vulnerable (Simpfendorfer et al. 2020).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C3 – RESTING AREAS

Burma Banks is an important resting area for one shark species.

Between December 2014 and December 2023, 123 SCUBA dives were undertaken at Burma Banks. Sightings of Tawny Nurse Sharks were recorded on 91 of these dives (74%). Of these sightings, 96% consisted of sharks resting on the seafloor or under coral and rock formations, either individually or in groups (average group size = 2-3 individuals, maximum = 5). Twelve individuals were recorded during a single dive in December 2023 (Smiling Seahorse pers. comms. 2024). The most regular Tawny Nurse Shark sightings occur at Rainbow Reef, Big Bank, and Heckford Reef within the Burma Banks.

Burma Banks

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