Feeding ecology of silky sharks Carcharhinus falciformis associated with floating objects in the western Indian Ocean

The silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis is commonly associated with floating objects, including fish aggregating devices (FADs), in the Indian Ocean. While the motives for this associative behaviour are unclear, it does make them vulnerable to capture in the tuna purse seine fishery that makes extensive use of FADs. Here, the diet of 323 C. falciformis, caught at FADs in the Indian Ocean, was investigated to test the hypothesis that trophic...