First records of white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, from Mauritius, Zanzibar, Madagascar and Kenya

Distribution records of white sharks in the tropical southwest Indian Ocean are both sparse and speculative. This paper provides the first confirmed r ecords of white sharks from four localities in the region. A male white sha rk of about 5 m total length was taken by a fisheries vessel off Le Morne o n the island of Mauritius in 1971. A white shark over 4 m long was caught a t Matemwe Beach, Zanzibar, in 1993. A female white shark, estimated at 3.8 m,was taken in an artisanal net fishery near Antsiranana, in the Bale de Di ego Suarez on the northeastern tip of Madagascar in 1994. A pregnant white shark, reported at 6.4 m, was taken in an artisanal net fishery near Malind i, Kenya, in 1996. At least seven embryos, 1.1 m long and weighing 10-20 kg ,were found. White sharks in the tropical Indian Ocean may be predominantly large, possibly mature, specimens. Their occurrence in oceanic island wate rs may facilitate trans-oceanic movements, which has important consequences for the conservation and management of this species.