This volume presents a fully illustrated field guide for the identification of the sharks and rays most relevant to the fisheries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. An extensive literature review was carried out for the preparation of this document. A total of 49 sharks, 34 batoids and 1 chimaera are fully treated. The presence of 5 sharks and 2 batoids included in this field guide, need, however, to be confirmed. 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. Each species account includes: at least one annotated illustration of the species highlighting its relevant identification characters; basic information on nomenclature, synonyms and possible misidentifications; FAO common names; basic information on size, habitat and biology, distribution, importance to fisheries, and conservation and exploitation status.

This guide contains the illustrated key to orders, families, genera and species to the Chondrichthyes of the Mediterranean and Black Seas (FAO fishing area 37), currently represented by 38 sharks, 48 batoids and 2 chimaeras. The species are described following the taxonomic order and are grouped in functional groups. Near the illustration of each species, the relevant diagnostic features are complemented by a set of icons representing the management measures and the data collection requirements as per existing GFCM recommendations. The technical terms and the minimum standard measurements are provided as annexes.

Bycatch – a term widely used to refer to part of the catch unintentionally caught during a fishing operation, in addition to target species, and consisting of the discards and incidental catch of vulnerable species – is considered one of the most important threats to the profitability and sustainability of fisheries, as well as to the conservation of the marine environment and ecosystems. Understanding the bycatch issue and adopting effective measures in order to reduce bycatch rates are essential steps towards minimizing the impacts on vulnerable species and ensuring both a sustainable fisheries sector and healthy seas. In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the incidental catch of vulnerable species – namely seabirds, sea turtles, elasmobranchs, marine mammals and macrobenthic invertebrates – represents one of several challenges for the industrial, semi-industrial and small-scale fisheries that coexist in the region, as well as for the diverse and sensitive ecosystems impacted. Typically, data on this issue have been collected in an opportunistic manner and in ways that make comparisons difficult. The annual absolute values of incidental catch of vulnerable species are not available: studies cover only a small portion of the total fishing activity and often present important knowledge gaps for many types of fishing gear, countries and/or subregions, as well as on temporal scales, for example, to establish reliable baselines. The result is that little is known of the scope of the problem, despite incidental catch being a significant pressure on the populations of vulnerable species, as well as a concern for fishers.This regional review is an attempt to compile, in one single document, all available data and historical records on the incidental catch of vulnerable species in the Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries, obtained from existing literature, databases and other grey sources, and collated in a standardized and comparable way. The main objective is to provide comprehensive baseline information, earmark the main data gaps, as well as identify the most impacting types of fishing gear by taxonomic group. This work is a reminder of the importance of standardized data collection and the need to have baseline information in order to support decision-making in the identification of appropriate bycatch mitigation techniques, thus enabling analysis of their effectiveness and comparison over time and space, as well as facilitating the implementation of relevant conservation and/or management measures at the national, subregional and regional levels.

The present book offers an overall up-to-date overview of the biological diversity, comprising many interesting chapters focussing on the different aspects of biodiversity. Most of the chapters include findings of investigations and observations on biodiversity, whilst a few are based on statistically and theoretically derived information. The book produced sufficient information on the occurrence and distribution of many plant and animal species or groups of organisms with environmental estimates from a wide variety of interesting terrestrial and aquatic habitats. With 18 interesting and elaborately prepared chapters, the present book would definitely be an ideal source of scientific information to the advanced students, junior researchers, scientists and a portion of the public involved in ecology and other research areas involving biodiversity studies. It will also help to the development of the growing awareness of the close linkage between the conversation of biodiversity and economic development.

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.

During the last decades, aquatic resources have been severely depleted due to human-induced factors such as overexploitation and pollution and more recently due to deviations in the physicochemical parameters of oceans, dramatic changes in weather patterns and melting of glaciers. The effects of these man-made factors are occurring in a relatively shorter time scale and, in many cases, are beyond the capacity of organisms to adapt to these deviations. The majority of natural aquatic resources, which are one of the most important food sources on the planet, are being used to the extent that limits their capacity for regeneration. Despite ongoing attempts towards developing strategies for long-term management of aquatic resources all over the world, efforts have met with limited success. Thus, the sustainable use of aquatic resources has become a very important reality considering a projected human population of 11 billion by the year 2100. With this reality in mind, the purpose of this book is to shed more light on the field of marine ecology by emphasizing the diversity of aquatic life on earth and its importance both as part of a balanced ecosystem and as part of critical source of food on earth. The book covers important findings, discussions and reviews on a variety of subjects on environmental and competitive interactions of marine organisms at different trophic levels and their effects on the productivity, dynamics and structure of marine ecosystems around the world. Each chapter focuses on a specific case in the field of marine ecology and was written by researchers with years of experience in their respective fields. We hope that academicians, researchers and students as well as experts and professionals working in the field of marine ecology will benefit from these contributions. We also hope that this book will inspire more studies to help better understand the marine environment and develop strategies to better protect this crucial element of life on earth.

Chondrichthyes are a group of cartilaginous fish, where we have sharks, rays, and chimeras as members. This group plays an important role in aquatic ecology, as they act as predators throughout the food chain (e.g., sharks). However, many populations of Chondrichthyes are threatened by several factors (increased direct fishing, high mortality rate as accompanying fauna, marine pollution, habitat destruction, etc.). These declines are evident in many parts of the world and have come to the attention of scientists, conservation organizations, the media, and the general public. Fisheries legislation regulating international fisheries markets has been amended to provide greater protection for this group along with other species of fish. However, little is known about these species, which reinforces the importance of studies in order to have a better understanding of the elasmobranch stocks, as well as to identify the influences of the anthropic action of fishing. In response to knowledge on the low sustainability of cartilaginous fish fisheries on a global scale, FAO has developed an international plan of action for the management and conservation of these fish, with the aim of developing and implementing national plans of action to ensure management and conservation of these stocks, having as main recommendation the collection of information about the Chondrichthyes, especially the sharks. Even so, this group is little known in terms of biodiversity, ecology, behavior, and a host of other characteristics relevant to this taxon, which is very worrying. Chondrichthyes - Multidisciplinary Approach attempts to portray to the readers up-to-date information on Chondrichthyes to promote an overview of the current taxon, serving as an indispensable source of access to more accurate and detailed information on shark rays and chimeras.

This atlas aims to present sound approaches to maturity sampling for a wide range of Mediterranean species – including bony fish, cartilaginous fish, both oviparous and viviparous, crustaceans and cephalopods – based on an accurate determination of the different maturity stages. It includes macroscopic photos of gonads belonging to the main species and, for some, a validation-based histological analysis.

This handbook provides guidance on methods for use in fish ageing studies. Fish age, among other biological parameters, is one of the most relevant pieces of data to attain sustainable exploitation levels of fishery resources. Indeed, most analytical methods used in stock assessment require knowledge of demographic structure according to age of stocks, as well as to recruitment, growth, maturity, natural mortality, etc., which are strictly linked to information on age and age structure. The handbook was put together to deal with identified gaps – which affect both the precision and the accuracy of estimations – regarding ageing schemes, criteria and methodologies used in preparing calcified structures. It focuses on the general principles that underpin age analysis (assignment of birth date, preparation methods, aging scheme reading and identification of true and false rings). Crucially, it aims to contribute to the establishment of common analysis methods, which can enable better calibration across the diverse institutes involved, thereby improving the quality and reliability of results.