The silky shark, Carcharhinus falciformis, of the family Charcharhinidae, is a true open-water pelagic species, found all around the world in tropical waters.
These dark-coloured, sleek sharks get their name from their smooth, ‘silky’ skin. They feed primarily on bony fish like tuna, and cephalopods like squid, and are the most common species encountered by Cayman fishermen lucky enough to find offshore drifts.
Gangs of very persistent three-footers or ‘pups’ will surround structures like our fish attracting device (FAD): A couple of buoys tethered to the bottom surrounded by water approaching 10,000 feet deep. Adult silky sharks, which can reach a speed of nearly 40 miles per hour and exceed 20 years of age, are generally more solitary than juveniles.
Natural predators include bigger sharks and killer whales. Unfortunately, they are killed as a by-catch of the tuna fisheries and their population has decreased substantially over the recent decades.
Tom Byrnes is the owner/operator of Cayman Marine Lab. He acquired his Coast Guard Captain’s Licence when he was a teenager and worked as a commercial fisherman in his youth. He got his first diving certificate in 1974 with the YMCA. He has worked in the local dive industry for more than 35 years and has a PhD in marine biology.
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