Management of Elasmobranch Fisheries: Sustainability, Conservation, and Regulation of Global Trade

International concern has been raised over the magnitude of fishing effort exerted on elasmobranchs, as excessive harvesting quickly depletes stocks. Management of these fisheries is difficult for several reasons.  In some regions elasmobranchs are not the primary fishing target, causing inaccuracies in landing data and taxonomic identification of captured species. Total catches and by-catch are often unknown due to limitations in monitoring of fishery activities. Elasmobranch fisheries are often managed under models developed for teleost fishes, which are more resilient to heavy fishing pressure. Significant decrease in pelagic shark populations is occurring due to illegal fishing, driven by the fin trade in Asian countries. As a consequence, diving operators experience loss of income, and in some countries shark tourism is a significant contributor of national economies. Altering elasmobranch population sizes affects local trophic relationships, causing ecosystem-level imbalance.  

Despite these difficulties, some elasmobranch populations are now successfully managed (Northwest Atlantic spiny dogfish), while others have only recently been the object of monitoring.  Calls for active management have increased in the wake of controversies such as the recent “Save the Bay, Eat a Ray” campaign in Chesapeake Bay, which promotes cownose ray harvest.  Elasmobranch fisheries must be carefully managed to avoid boom-bust cycles and find balance between the demand for elasmobranch products and the maintenance of species conservation status.

International participants are invited to present various management strategies and priorities for different elasmobranch species.  This symposium encourages discussion between different stakeholders, including commercial fishers, managers, conservationists, and governmental agencies. Considering the urgent need of collaboration between all parties involved, the symposium will culminate in a panel session aimed at discussing different aspects of elasmobranch fishery management, including current level of stock assessment knowledge, priorities for stakeholders, suggested regulation and policies, and proposed future actions to implement sustainable fisheries.