The status and conservation of sharks in Britain

Abstract

ABSTRACT1. Despite the ease with which shark stocks can be quickly overfished, illustrated by the collapse of similar fisheries in the past, few regulations currently exist for the effective management of present day fisheries.2. Large numbers of sharks are taken by both commercial and recreational fisheries around the British Isles; current landings are reviewed.3. These data are used to support the contention that immediate research is undertaken to collect essential life-history information so that (i) accurate assessments of current stock levels can be made and (ii) a long-term fishery management plan can be developed.

Seasonal migration of the starry smooth‐hound shark Mustelus asterias as revealed from tag‐recapture data of an angler‐led tagging programme

“…This entails modification of a number of existing regulations including science-based, precautionary catch limits for targeted shark fisheries and fisheries with a by-catch of sharks. Despite this, few data are available on elasmobranch biology, distribution, population structure and population sizes in European waters, which makes it difficult to develop effective fisheries management measures (Vas, 1995;Fowler et al, 2005).…”

“…Fisheries research often focuses on high value commercial species (Jennings et al, 2001) but apart from the spiny dogfish shark Squalus acanthias L. 1758 for which fisheries are now closed due to overexploitation (Fordham et al, 2006), targeted commercial elasmobranch fisheries in the southern North Sea are rare (Gibson et al, 2008). Elasmobranchs are taken as by-catch, but are often discarded and unreported (Vas, 1995;Musick et al, 2000), hence their abundance and distribution within this area are largely unknown and the information available is mostly from limited survey data. Anglers target and catch elasmobranchs along the Dutch coastline and this may provide a valuable data source about elasmobranch populations in this area.…”

Stock Identity of Elasmobranchs in the Northeast Atlantic in Relation to Assessment and Management

“…Up to 82% of P. glauca taken in French and Spanish fisheries are discarded due to its low value compared to that of swordfish Xiphius gladius and other sharks (e.g. mako Isurus oxyrinchus) (Vas, 1995;Mejuto, MS 1985). They are also taken in local, directed long-line fisheries in the southern Bay of Biscay and off the shelf edge in the Celtic Sea, west of Ireland and off Southwest England, where…”