Field Identification Guide To The Sharks And Rays Of The Red Sea And Gulf Of Aden

This volume presents a fully illustrated field guide for the identification of the sharks and rays most relevant to the fisheries of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. An extensive literature review and two field surveys in the region were carried out for the preparation of this document. A total of 49 sharks and 45 batoids reliably reported for the region are listed and those common in the fisheries or likely to be found through fisheries operations are fully treated. The guide includes sections on technical terms and measurements for sharks and batoids, and fully illustrated keys to those orders and families that occur in the region. Color plates for a large number of the species are included.

This important and exciting title represents the first authoritative volume focussed on pelagic (open ocean) sharks as a group. Virtually every pelagic shark expert in the world has contributed to this landmark publication which includes the latest data and knowledge on pelagic shark biology, fisheries, management, and conservation. Pelagic sharks face unprecedented levels of exploitation in all the world's oceans through both direct fisheries and by-catch, and effective management for these species is contingent upon solid science and data, which this book brings together for the first time. All those involved in shark biology will need to have a copy of this book.

The FAO Expert Consultation, held in Rome in December 2005, reviewed available information and national, institutional and personal experiences in relation to factors governing the success of the IPOA- SHARKS conservation and management programme, including the constraints to programme implementation and options for improving its efficacy and effectiveness. The conclusion of the consultation was that the IPOA- SHARKS programme was a beneficial endeavour and that efforts to improve its effectiveness should be strengthened.

This book includes invited contributions presenting the latest research on the oceanography and environment of the Red Sea. In addition to covering topics relevant to research in the region and providing insights into marine science for non-experts, it is also of interest to those involved in the management of coastal zones and encourages further research on the Red Sea

Since the award-winning first volume, The Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives, published in 2004, the field has witnessed tremendous developments in research, rapid advances in technology, and the emergence of new investigators beginning to explore issues of biodiversity, distribution, physiology, and ecology in ways that eluded more traditional studies. As an entirely new companion volume, Sharks and Their Relatives II: Biodiversity, Adaptive Physiology, and Conservation brings you up to speed on these significant changes, specifically examining how elasmobranch fishes – the sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras – successfully survive in a wide range of habitats. Emphasizes Conservation of Threatened Species This multidisciplinary volume begins by examining elasmobranch biodiversity patterns and their integrated sensory systems. It then explores the physiological adaptations – from unique sensory modalities to compensatory mechanisms for physiological and environmental stress – that make these animals particularly well-suited for the range of habitats where they are found, in both oceanic and freshwater realms. Features Established Researchers and Introduces New Pioneers in the Field The book then considers the human interactions and anthropogenic effects on worldwide elasmobranch populations and the potential extinction risks posed by increasing threats from changes in habitat, changes in water chemistry, and growing commercial exploitation. This text truly is unrivaled in terms of coverage and readability, and it is a must-have reference for marine biologists, fishery scientists, oceanographers, and also marine, zoo, and aquarium veterinarians. To address subject areas and subdisciplines where coverage was absent or superficial in volume one, Jeffrey Carrier and associates have assembled in the current volume a collection of works that reveal patterns of biodiversity, the physiological attributes that contribute to elasmobranchs’ successful exploitation of oceanic and freshwater realms, and the unique issues associated with the interaction between elasmobranchs and humans, all of this with overarching attention to issues of conservation. "We begin with chapters examining biodiversity. We have chosen to approach this discussion by presenting elasmobranchs as inhabitants of the range of zoogeographic provinces, realizing that significant overlap may occur for more pelagic species. This realization was reflected in the dialogue that occurred during preparation of the book between our chapter authors, and the recognition that many species simply cannot be confined to a specific habitat or range of habitats. We then continue by examining some of the unique physiological adaptations that allow these animals to exploit the range of habitats where they are found, from unique sensory modalities to compensatory mechanisms for physiological and environmental stress. "Our concluding section presents some of the challenges faced by members of these groups. We have asked our authors to consider human interactions and anthropogenic effects on worldwide populations and the potential extinction risks posed from survival under increasing threats from changes in habitat, changes in water chemistry, and increasing commercial exploitation. Conservation of species under threat remains a theme throughout the book. "Our authors represent an international group of investigators including established scientists whose work has been widely published and respected, and emerging younger scientists who have exploited recent advances in technology to ask and answer new questions as well as offering new insights and interpretations to enduring problems in the fields of ecology and physiology. We have asked them to be speculative and challenging, and we have asked them to predict future areas for investigation in hopes that their work will both inspire and provoke additional studies of these fascinating animals." - from the Preface

This volume is a comprehensive, fully illustrated catalogue of the sharks, batoid fishes, and chimaeras of the Indian Ocean. It includes 10 orders, 23 families, 45 genera, and 78 species of cartilaginous fishes, providing accounts for all orders, families and genera, and all keys to taxa are fully illustrated.

The technical workshop considered global and country specific information on shark fisheries and trade to identify limitations and strategies for improving their monitoring. Reports from a selected number of main shark fishing and trading nations described the status of shark fisheries and the efforts towards the development of a National Plan of Action for Sharks. The workshop recommended actions to promote the implementation of National Plans of Action for Sharks and to address specific problems affecting catch and trade monitoring, including lack specificity in data, underestimated catch volumes, and limitations in the customs codes used in trade monitoring.--Publisher's description.

"In 2011, the Conference on Fisheries requested FAO to prepare a report on the implementation of the 1999 FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks by FAO Members, and the challenges Members faced when implementing the instrument. This document provides the requested review and includes information on National Plans of Action (NPOAs), for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, national fisheries regulations in general and measures applicable to sharks including research, data collection and reporting. In addition, membership of relevant regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and status of adopting the Port State Measures Agreement are included. This review focuses on the 26 top shark-fishing countries, areas and territories determined as those reporting at least 1 percent of global shark catches during the decade from 2000 to 2009: Indonesia, India, Spain, Taiwan Province of China, Argentina, Mexico, the United States of America, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, France, Thailand, Brazil, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran (Islamic Republic of), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Canada, Peru, Australia, Yemen, Senegal and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of). This review also considered shark action plans and measures from the European Union (Member Organization) and ten RFMOs. Eighty-four (84) percent of the global shark catches reported to FAO from 2000 to 2009 was from the 26 top shark-fishing countries, areas and territories. Overall, global reported annual shark catches during this decade show a significant decline of almost 20 percent from about 900 000 tonnes to about 750 000 tonnes. The review shows that 18 of the 26 top shark fishing countries, areas and territories have adopted an NPOA Sharks and that an additional 5 of these countries are in the process of adopting or developing such a plan. Among the most commonly adopted management measures for sharks are shark fin measures; but other regulations have also been implemented such as closed areas and season, by-catch/discard regulations, protected species, total allowable catches (TAC) and quotas, special reporting requirements and others. Data collection and research on sharks is lacking in many regions. Overall, the reporting of shark catches to FAO has improved in the last decade. Shark catches reported at species level doubled from 14 percent in 1995 to 29 percent in 2010. Most of the top shark-fishing countries, areas and territories have taken steps to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, either by signing the FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) (46 percent) or at least by adopting an NPOA IUU or similar plan (23 percent). Only five (20 percent) of the top 26 shark-fishing countries, areas and territories have not adopted an NPOA Sharks, signed the PSMA or implemented an NPOA IUU. Nonetheless, in quite a few countries the effective implementation of MCS schemes is problematic, often because of a lack of human and financial resources. All but one of the top shark-fishing countries, areas and territories are members of at least one RFMO. In particular, shark measures adopted by tuna bodies are binding in their areas of competence for all their member States that have not objected to the measure in question. The array of shark measures adopted by the RFMOs may vary from binding recommendations or resolutions to non-binding measures, as in the case of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). They include shark fin measures, catch and gear regulations, prohibited species, area closures, reporting requirements and research programmes. This means that in all but one area covered by RFBs there are internationally binding shark measures in place for high seas fisheries."--Publisher's description.