Unknown
NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service
In:
http://aquaticcommons.org/id/eprint/2700
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403
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2011-09-29 18:29:26
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2700
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United States National Marine Fisheries Service
Publication Date:
2021-06-27
Description:
Elasmobranchs are vital and valuable components of themarine biota. From an ecological perspective they occupythe role of top predators within marine food webs, providinga regulatory control that helps balance the ecosystem.From an evolutionary perspective, this group represents anearly divergence along the vertebrate line that producedmany unusual, but highly successful, adaptations in functionand form.From man's perspective, elasmobranchs have been consideredboth an unavoidable nuisance, and an exploitable fishery resource. A few of the large shark species have earned a dubious notoriety because of sporadic attacks on humans that occur in coastal areas each year worldwide; thehysteria surrounding an encounter with a shark can becostly to the tourist industry. More importantly, elasmobranchs are often considered a detriment to commercialfishing operations; they cause significant economic damageto catches and fishing gear. On the other hand, consumerattitudes have changed concerning many previouslyunpopular food fishes, including elasmobranchs, and thisgroup of fishes has been increasingly used by both recreational and commercial fishing interests. Many elasmobranchs have become a popular target of recreational fishermen for food and sport because of their abundance, size, and availability in coastal waters. Similarly, commercial fisheries for elasmobranchs have developed or expanded from an increased demand for elasmobranch food products. (PDF file contains 108 pages.)
Keywords:
Conservation
;
Fisheries
;
Biology
Repository Name:
AquaDocs
Type:
monograph
Format:
application/pdf
Format:
application/pdf
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