The IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group
Shark News 13: July 2001
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Recent Books & Publications
Sharks, Skates, and Rays:
The Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes
William C. Hamlett (Editor). 1999. 544 pp., 228 illus., hardcover.
The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA.
US$115.00. ISBN 0-8018-6048-2.
In 1922, Dr Frank Daniel published the first edition of the now-classic book, The Elasmobranch Fishes (first published 1922, revised 1928 and 1934). It represented the ultimate compilation of information on elasmobranch morphology of its time. Sharks, Skates, and Rays is a successor to this classic work, providing a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of elasmobranch morphology. Daniel's work has been built upon by keeping a systems approach, although the coverage has been expanded from anatomy to include modern information on physiology and biochemistry. The new volume also provides equal treatment for skates and rays.
The chapters take us through the many intriguing aspects of elasmobranch form and function that capture the biologist's imagination today as they have for hundreds of years. The detail helps us understand elasmobranchs as we know them to behave in the wild. For example, the chapter on special senses describes the major senses, such as the eyes and olfactory systems, and the special receptors that, all combined, make them powerful and effective predators. If you want a comprehensive review of the different modes of reproduction, there is a chapter on both female and male systems, discussed from an evolutionary perspective. The chapter on the urinary system synthesizes a disparate literature on elasmobranch renal architecture, illustrating how the structure of this system reflects its function, depending on whether the particular system is marine, euryhaline, or restricted to freshwater bodies. No book on these fish would be complete without mention of the variety of tooth form, and all are included here, fossils and recent, the incredible diversity showing that not all sharks are the typical 'Jaws'!
Overall the authors present a wide coverage of general introductory material for the relative novice to the biology of these fish, but also review the latest technical citations, making the book a valuable primary reference resource to all researchers in the field. All the authors are leading authorities in their respective fields in elasmobranch biology. An annotated checklist compiled by Leonard J. V. Compagno is included as an appendix, and includes all described species with a generalized listing of geographic distribution and habitat for each genus. More than 200 illustrations supplement the text.
William C. Hamlett is an associate professor of anatomy at Indiana University School of Medicine and an adjunct associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame.
Contents and contributors:
Foreword, William C. Hamlett.
Systematics and Body form, Leonard J.V. Compagno.
Integumentary System and Teeth, Norman E. Kemp.
Endoskeleton, Leonard J.V. Compagno.
Muscular System, Karel F. Liem, Adam P. Summers, & Quentin Bone.
Digestive System, Suzanne Holmgren & Stephan Nilsson.
Respiratory System, P.J. Butler.
Circulatory System, Ramon Munoz-Chapuli & Geoffrey H. Satchell.
The Heart, Bruno Tota.
Nervous System, Michael R. Hoffman.
Special Senses, Horst Bleckmann & Michael H. Hoffman.
The Rectal Gland and Volume Homeostasis, Kenneth R. Olson.
Urinary System, Enrico Reale & Eric Lacy
Female Reproductive System, William C. Hamlett & Thomas J. Koob.
Male Reproductive System, William C. Hamlett.
The Conservation Handbook: Research,
Management and Policy
William J Sutherland. 2000. 278 pp., paperback. Blackwell Science.
£24.95 ISBN 0-632-05344-5.
There are many books outlining the main concepts of conservation biology, but how does one put this theoretical knowledge into practice? The aim of The Conservation Handbook is to provide clear guidance on the implementation of conservation techniques, concentrating on what individuals can actually do to tackle some of the problems. Although not a book specifically concerned with the conservation of aquatic species and habitats, there are sections on fisheries monitoring and management. The author (Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK), emphasises, however, that many conservation problems and solutions are similar everywhere. The wide range of methods described include those for ecological research, monitoring, planning, education, fund-raising, habitat management and combining conservation with development. Nineteen case studies illustrate how the methods have been applied.
The Handbook will be of interest to conservation biology students and practising conservationists worldwide, and will be especially useful for conservation workers in developing countries.
For every copy sold, another copy will be sent free to a practising conservationist outside Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. If you know of someone outside these areas who will benefit from this book, please send your name and address, and the name of the suggested recipient, their address and a sentence or two explaining why they should be sent this book to: gratis@nhbs.co.uk.
Life in the Slow Lane: Ecology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Animals
American Fisheries Society Symposium 23. John A. Musick (Editor).
1999. 265 pp. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
ISBN 1-888569-15-8.
Long-lived marine animals, such as chondrichthyan fish, whales and sea turtles may not be able to respond as strongly or as rapidly to compensate for reductions in population densities. These groups are also particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic mortality and prone to population collapse. This book presents the papers from the Symposium convened to enable scientists working with many different long-lived marine taxa to discuss the ecological similarities and differences among the groups they study and to examine management strategies that might lead to improved conservation of these vulnerable species.
John A. Musick is Co-Chair of the SSG and is Head of Vertebrate Biology at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, USA.
The End of the Line?
WildAid Report, 2001
The report documents over two year's research in 12 countries, including many of the main consuming markets and major shark fisheries. The report highlights the problems facing shark populations around the world, including increases in shark catches and the globalization of the fin trade. There are specific country studies, detailing how, in many parts of the developing world, artisanal fishermen are losing their catches to modern technology; and how World Heritage Sites and Marine Reserves such as the Galapagos Islands are being increasingly encroached upon by illegal fisheries for shark fins. The report concludes with WildAids recommendations for improved shark fisheries management and conservation, including a request for reduced consumption of shark fin soup worldwide.
For more information and details on how to obtain a copy of the report, please visit http://www.wildaid.org.
Shark Fisheries Management and Biology.
Marine and Freshwater Research, 49/7, 1998. 220 pp.
The collection of 23 papers in this special issue of Marine and Freshwater Research grew out of the Sharks and Man Workshop held during the Second World Fisheries Congress in 1996. It makes a valuable contribution towards redressing the lack of information on shark harvesting and biology, particularly in terms of describing shark fisheries and their assessment, monitoring and management. Some papers were presented at the workshop and others solicited to address gaps in the scientific literature. All but two papers are sourced from the Southern Hemisphere, all are relevant to the conservation of sharks and management of shark fisheries, and all were peer-reviewed.
The 'Shark Fisheries and Management' section reviews the broad issues confronting shark fisheries management and shark conservation and describes some national or regional shark fisheries and their management. 'Catch Monitoring and By-catch' papers describe at-sea-monitoring programmes for coastal and offshore fisheries, raising issues such as discarding, by-catch, market grading, shark fishery interactions with mammals, sea birds and turtles and the management of risk associated with interactions between sharks and humans. The 'Life History and Stock Assessment' section includes a paper comparing the productivities of 26 species of shark based on life history parameters. Others address important components of shark biology required for stock assessment (reproduction, age and growth, and gillnet selectivity). One paper applies a stock assessment with risk analysis based on demographic parameters combined with fishing gear selectivity parameters and time series data of catch and catch per unit effort. 'General Biology' includes papers on taxonomy and genetic studies relevant to stock delineation, feeding and liver oils.
Order your copy from CSIRO Publishing, PO Box 1139, Collingwood, Vic. 3066, Australia. Cost is $60 ($A in Australia/NZ, $US elsewhere) plus $8 postage per order. Cheques or Money Orders should be made payable to CSIRO Publishing, or pay by credit card. International tel: +61 3 9662 7666, Fax: +61 3 9662 7555, Email: sales@publish.csiro.au Website: http://www.publish.csiro.au/journals/mfr.
Quaderni della Civica Stazione Idrobiologica di Milano. No. 22, Dicembre 1997.
Atti del Primo Convegno italiano sugli Elasmobranchi.
This special issue of Quaderni contains papers presented at a one day meeting of Italian elasmobranch enthusiasts in 1995. They include studies of blue shark Prionace glauca, white shark Carcharodon carcharias, and thresher shark Alopias vulpinus in the Adriatic Sea, and descriptions of tagging projects and the Large Elasmobranchs Monitoring Programme (LEM) in the Mediterranean. Papers are presented in English and Italian, with colour and black and white plates. Contact Aquario, Viale Gadio, 2 I-20121 Milano MI, Italy.
Cetacea Informa, Anno Vii no.13, 1998: Speciale squali, Speciale scuole.
Produced (in Italian) by Fondazione Cetacea, Viale Milano 63, 47838 Riccione (RN) Italia. Fax + 39 541 691557. Email: cetacea@iper.net.
Tiburones del Mar de Alborán
F.J. Pinto de la Rosa. Servicio de Publicaciones, Centro de Ediciones de
la Diputación de Málaga, Spain. 115pp + glossary and index.
Black and white plates. In Spanish.
Introduces sharks, their anatomy, classification, and describes those species most commonly reported from the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean).
The Basking Shark in Scotland
Denis Fairfax, 1998. 206 pp, hardback, black and white illustrations.
£16.99. Tuckwell Press, East Linton, Scotland. ISBN 1-86232-094-2.
This book presents a detailed illustrated history of the fishery for this species in Scotland, based on archival sources, early historical works and interviews with surviving shark hunters. The biology and history of scientific and taxonomic studies are also described.
Proceedings of the 5th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference
The Proceedings of the 5th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (Noumea,
3-8 November 1997), including papers from the Symposium on
Chondrichthyan Fishes, are now available.
The volume contains 79 papers (866 pages). Copies are available for 400 F (French francs) each, plus postage (67 F per copy within Europe, 75 F to Africa, and 110 F for other countries). Orders and payment should be sent to the Societe Francaise d'Ichtyologie, 43 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France. Payment may also be made by bank transfer to Banque Nationale de Paris, Nĝ: 30004 - 00042 - 00000801019 - 27, or by credit card (Visa or Master). Send credit card details by fax (for the attention of Bernard Seret, (33) 01.40.79.37.71) or by postal mail with your signature.
Report of the Consultation on the management of
fishing capacity, shark fisheries and incidental
catch of seabirds in longline fisheries
FAO Fisheries Report No. 593. FAO, Rome, Italy, 26-30 October
1998. ISBN 92-5-004266-3.
The meeting, attended by delegations from 80 Members of FAO and by observers, approved draft International Plans of Action for the above three subjects. The report publishes these drafts in English, French and Spanish. The Consultation also discussed at length the need to take urgent action to curb the growing problems of flags of convenience and pirate fishing. It recommended that priority be given by FAO Members to consider accepting the Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas (Compliance Agreement).
Biology of the Megamouth Shark
K. Yano, J.F. Morrisssey, Y. Yabumoto and K. Nakaya (Eds), 1997.
xv+203 pp. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. ISBN 4-486-03111-3.
This volume represents the product of a unique international scientific collaboration arising from the stranding of a 4.7m female megamouth shark Megachasma pelagios (only the seventh specimen known to science) in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1994. The dissection (by 30 scientists) of the shark in 1995 was followed by a symposium in March 1996, and the publication of 21 refereed papers (with colour and black and white plates) in these proceedings. The preserved specimen is now on public display at Marine World umino-nakamichi, Japan.
Copies of the publication are available from Tokai University Press, 2-28-4 Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku, 151 Japan. Fax. 81-3-5478-0870. Payment (5000 yen, equivalent to about US$45) can be made by VISA or Master Card.
Fish bycatch in New Zealand tuna longline fisheries
M.P. Francis, L.H. Griggs, S.J.Baird, T.E. Murray and H.A. Dean.
1999. NIWA Technical Report 55. NIWA, P.O.Box 14-901,
Wellington, New Zealand. ISSN 1174-2631. 18 pp plus numerous
tables and appendices.
The number of hooks set by tuna longline vessels in the New Zealand EEZ declined by about 90% from a maximum of 24-27 million hooks per year in 1980-82, to 2-4 million hooks in 1994-1997. This report uses scientific observer data to determine the fish species caught on tuna longlines and to estimate the amount of fish taken on observed vessels, scaling up these estimates to provide estimates of total fish bycatch. Analysis covers the period 1988/89 to 1996/97, when observer coverage was considered sufficiently representative for analysis.
Blue shark (32%) and albacore (29%) dominated the catch, with southern bluefin tuna, Ray's bream, porbeagle shark and mako shark the next abundant species, contributing 6-8% each.
In recent years (1994-1997), changes in fleet composition from mainly foreign and charter vessels to mainly domestic vessels has resulted in a shift in species composition: the proportion of albacore has increased (42%) and the proportion of blue shark decreased (23%).
REDUCED PRICE!
Sharks and their Relatives: Ecology and Conservation
M. Camhi, S. Fowler, J. Musick, A. Bräutigam and S. Fordham.
1998. Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival
Commission No. 20. iv + 39 pp. No illustrations.
Now only £7 or $10 plus postage and packing (20% surface, 40% overseas airmail) from the SSG (see addresses on p. 16).
This introduction to the ecology, status and conservation of sharks and their relatives is aimed at a general audience. It draws attention to the unique biology of this group of fishes and makes the case for expanded political and financial investment in research, monitoring, and precautionary management for all fisheries taking sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras as part of their catch.
This publication is an invaluable source of information for the interested naturalist, students and managers. A particularly useful feature is the extensive use of tables to present the comparative life-history traits of sharks compared with other long-lived taxa, IUCN Red List assessments, management tools for domestic shark fisheries currently implemented by shark fishing nations, legally protected species, and life history traits for over 40 species of elasmobranch. There is also a list of over 200 key references, all of which are cited in the text.
Order your copy NOW!
Red Sea Sharks
Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch, 1999. 96˙pp. Trident Press, London, UK.
ISBN 1-900724-28-6.
This beautifully illustrated book is the latest in the IN DEPTH Divers' Guide series. It features wonderful colour photographs by the author and excellent pen and ink drawings by Ian Fergusson. The first part of the book contains information on sharks and divers, sensory mechanisms, reproduction and development, conservation, shark attacks and safety tips. The second part is dedicated to shark identification, with double page spreads on the identification, distribution, size, habitat and diet of the fifteen species of shark most likely to be encountered by divers in the Red Sea.
Available in hard back (£14.95) and soft back (£9.99). Postage within the UK is £3.00 per book, airmail within Europe £4.00, and airmail outside Europe £9.50 per book. Contact Biblios Publishers' Distribution Service, fax + 44 (0)1403 711143, or tel. + 44 (0)1403 710851.
Australian Seafood Handbook: an identification guide to domestic species
Yearsley, Last and Ward (eds.), 1999. 470 pp. CSIRO, Australia.
This full-colour identification guide is intended to be a reference for all Australian professional and recreational fishers, fishmongers, processors, biologists and seafood consumers. It contains everything you need to know about recognising and identifying the rich variety of seafood species found in Australian waters. A chapter on cartilaginous fishes is included. There are colour photographs of 350 seafood species and photographs of fish fillets. Protein fingerprints are included for 380 species and oil (fatty acid) composition analyses are included for 200 species.
The Handbook is available in hardcover and waterproof versions. Prices (in US$ overseas, and Australian dollars in Australia and NZ) are $39.95 + P&P for the hardcover and $75 + P&P for the waterproof.
Order copies from CSIRO Publishing, PO Box 1139, Collingwood, Vic 3066, Australia. Tel. (+61) (0)3 9662 7500, or fax. (+61) (0)3 9662 7555. http://www.publish.csiro.au/books, Email info@publish.csiro.au
Sharks on the Line II: An Analysis of Pacific State Shark Fisheries
Merry Camhi, 1999. 116pp. National Audubon Society.
This report is the second in a series that looks at sharks and their fisheries on a state-by-state basis. The first report (reviewed in Shark News 12) addressed the Atlantic and Gulf Coast States (Camhi, 1998), and a 1999 Atlantic update is also now available (Camhi, 1999).
Sharks on the Line II focuses on fisheries and management for sharks, skates and rays in the five Pacific states of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Bycatch is probably the greatest and most insidious threat to sharks and skates in both US and international Pacific waters. Only a small number of fisheries actually target elasmobranchs, and more than 75% of the reported shark landings and almost 100% of the skate landings from the Pacific states are from bycatch. Less is known about the regionwide status of shark species in US Pacific waters than in the Atlantic, and one of the main goals of this report was to evaluate what each Pacific state is doing to manage its elasmobranch fisheries.
For a copy of this report and/or the first volume, contact Merry Camhi, Living Oceans Program, National Audubon Society, 550 South Bay Avenue, Islip, NY, 11751, USA. Email: mcamhi@audubon.org.
Case Studies of the Management of Elasmobranch Fisheries
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No.378. FAO, Rome, Italy, 1999.
920pp. (in two volumes). ISBN 92-5-104291-8.
The first volume of this publication contains analyses of elasmobranch fisheries in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Malaysia and northern Australia. The second volume contains the case studies for Southern Australia, the regional accounts and descriptions of the activities of NGOs and quality of reported landings data. In general, the case studies cover the topics of the resource (species composition of fishery and associated species either as bycatch or discards) and development and current status of the means of prosecuting the fishery and the harvesting process. Fisheries management objectives and national fisheries policies are described, and the authors provide a critical review of the policy setting process in relation to elasmobranch fisheries, its successes, ongoing and unresolved problems and the nature of their weaknesses.
A Preliminary Evaluation of the Status of Shark Species
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No.380. FAO, Rome, Italy, 1999. 72pp.
ISBN 92-5-104299.
A preliminary evaluation of the status of shark species is made on the basis of available data, the reproductive potential of each species, and the level of exploitation of the species. Exploited shark species are classified numerically according to their vulnerability.
Shark Utilisation, Marketing and Trade
S. Vannuccini. 1999. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No.389. FAO,
Rome, Italy. 470pp. ISBN 92-5-104361-2.
Though sharks make up only a small part of the world's recorded fish landings, they are an extremely valuable resource. The are exploited for their meat, fins, skin, liver, cartilage and other internal organs. Shark skin is used to make leather and sandpaper, liver oil is used in the textile and leather industries, as a medicine and health supplement, as an ingredient of cosmetics and as a lubricant. Shark fin is one of the costliest marine commodities, and is used as a soup ingredient in Chinese communities all over the world.
This report brings together information from those parts of the world where sharks are important economically, with the latest statistics available. The species used and the methods of preparation for the various purposes are detailed.
Fisheries Management. 1. Conservation and Management of Sharks.
FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No.4, Suppl. 1.
FAO, Rome, Italy, 2000. 37pp. ISBN 92-5-105514-3
These guidelines have been produced by SSG member Terry Walker to support implementation of the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks). They are addressed primarily to decision-makers and policy-makers associated with conserving shark and other chondrichthyan fish, and with managing these resources, but will also be of interest to fishing industries and other parties.
The guidelines provide general advice and a framework for development and implementation of Shark Plans and Assessment Reports prepared at national and regional levels. They are also intended for joint Shark Plans for transboundary species of shark. They cover the four elements of the FAO Sustainable Development Reference Scheme, which are:
- Species conservation
- Biodiversity Maintenance
- Habitat Protection
- Management for Sustainable Use
Science and Management of Shark Fisheries
Fisheries Research Vol. 39 No. 2. December 1998. Elsevier Science
Ltd. ISSN 0165-7836.
Papers in this collection include:
- A review of the fishery for pelagic sharks in Atlantic Canada.
- Pelagic shark fisheries along the west coast of the US and Baja California.
- Shark bycatch in the Japanese high seas squid driftnet fishery in the North Pacific Ocean.
- The phenomenon of apparent change of growth rate in gummy shark (Mustelus antarcticus) harvested off southern Australia.
- Implications of recent increases in catches on the dynamics of Northwest Atlantic spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias).
- Fishery biology and the demography of the Atlantic sharpnose shark, (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
- Demographic analysis as an aid in shark stock assessment and management.
- Habitat management and closure of a nurse shark breeding and nursery ground.
- Federal management of US Atlantic shark fisheries.
- US and international mechanisms for protecting and managing shark resources.
Due to the late publication of this issue of Shark News the above collection of papers in the Fisheries Research journal is somewhat outdated: resulting from a Symposium held in Florida, USA in 1995. However, there is much useful information on shark fisheries and management to be found in this issue, particularly as a background to the current situation. It serves as a good overview to the strengths and limitations of available protective and management mechanisms for sharks. A combination of these mechanisms will likely provide the best chance for sustainable management of sharks and prevent over-utilization in the future.
The final message is clear: all countries need to give the highest priority to collection and sharing of data on the population status and life-history parameters of elasmobranchs, and data by species on the level of take in fisheries.
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