First report of the shortfin mako sharks Isurus oxyrinchus(Rafinesque, 1810) in commercial landings at Madras Fisheries Harbour

A pair of shortfin mako sharks Isurus oxyrinchus, locally named “singapal sorrah” were landed at Madras Fisheries Harbour by a mechanished gillnetter on 19.07.2012. The shortfin mako is an epipelagic species found in tropical and warmtemperate seas from the surface down to at least 500 m. Although it is known to be distributed in the Bay of Bengal, it is rarely found to occur in the fishery off the north Tamil Nadu coast. The present specimens are first record of mako sharks occurrence in Chennai waters.