Case Studies of the Management of Elasmobranch Fisheries

Book excerpt: This report describes the population biology and fishery management of elasmobranchs at regional, national and sub-regional levels - in Atlantic Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, Guatemala, South Africa, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, the Seychelles, two states in India, the Maldives, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Fiji and Ecuador. Regional accounts are given of management of Galeorhinus galeus, deepwater sharks and elasmobranch considerations of a tuna commission. NGO elasmobranch activities are described and an analysis of the quality of the relevant data in the FAO Nominal Catches and Landings Data Base. The topics of the resource, fishery and associated species, current status of fisheries and harvesting processes are described together with the evolution of the catch, fleet, fishing effort, commerce, fishery markets and revenues from the fishery. Comments on the economics of the fishery and nature of the workforce are also given. In relation to fisheries administration, management objectives and national fisheries policies are described and the manner of the planning process. Where applicable, the objectives setting process, relevant stakeholders and the handling of management negotiations are noted. The nature of gear restrictions and their effectiveness together with vessel regulations and where they exist, on catch, closed seasons, effort limitations, etc., are described Where management planning occurs, the provision of resource management advice together with a description of the departments involved and management activities are described. Several papers review stock assessment activities plus descriptions and analyses of the biological advice review process with comments on the sustainability of the resource. National accounts describe the relevant law and enforcement processes. The report consists of two parts.