Elasmobranchs of the Mediterranean and Black Sea - Status, Ecology and Biology: A Bibiliographic Analysis (Paperback)

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean promotes the development, conservation, rational management and best utilization of living marine resources, as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and connecting waters. This study presents a bibliographic analysis of 661 papers on taxonomy, distribution, status, statistics, fisheries, bycatch, biologic and ecologic parameters on age and growth, food and feeding habits, reproductive biology and stock assessment of elasmobranchs in Mediterranean and Black Sea. Focusing particularly on elasmobranchs in the GFCM area, it shows that cartilaginous species, including sharks, rays and chimaeras, are by far the most endangered group of marine fish in the Mediterranean Sea, with 31 species critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. The biological characteristics of elasmobranches make them more vulnerable to fishing pressure than most teleost fish, while overfishing, wide use of non-selective fishing practices and habitat degradation are leading to dramatic declines of these species in the Mediterranean Sea.