WCS 3-Sentence Science

Elasmobranches Getting Slammed

June 6, 2019

Credit: Benaya Simeon

Each year, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists publish more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and papers. “WCS 3-Sentence Science” is a regular tip-sheet — in bite sized helpings — of some of this published work.

Here we present the work of the WCS Indonesia marine program on overfishing of sharks, rays, skates:

1. Elasmobranches — sharks, rays, and skates — are at an elevated risk of extinction due to overfishing, and Indonesia is a global hub for commercial fishing for these slow-growing, cartilaginous fishes.
2. Researchers analyzed four years of catch data from Tanjung Luar — a fishing village specifically targeting sharks — to identify catch abundance and seasonality of vulnerable or endangered species, and found that catch per unit effort (CPUE) of sharks and rays from 2014 to 2017 fluctuated but was not significantly different.
3. The results suggested that management measures should focus on gear control and fishery closures, which could have significant benefits for the conservation of elasmobranch species, and may help to improve the overall sustainability of the fishery.

Study and Journal: “Catch abundance and fishing season from vulnerable and endangered Elasmobranch species in Tanjung Luar Fishery” from IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
WCS Co-Author(s): Benaya Simeon (Lead) , WCS Indonesia program ; M. Ichsan, A. Muttaqin, U. Mardhiah, I. Yulianto, , WCS Indonesia Program

For more information, contact: Stephen Sautner, 718–220–3682, ssautner@wcs.org.