You can swim but you can't hide: the global status and conservation of oceanic pelagic sharks and rays

1. Fishing spans all oceans and the impact on ocean predators such as sharks and rays is largely unknown. A lack of data and complicated jurisdictional issues present particular challenges for assessing and conserving high seas biodiversity. It is clear, however, that pelagic sharks and rays of the open ocean are subject to high and often unrestricted levels of mortality from bycatch and targeted fisheries for their meat and valuable fins. <br>2. These species exhibit a wide range of life-history characteristics, but many have relatively low productivity and consequently relatively high intrinsic vulnerability to over-exploitation. The IUCN-World Conservation Union Red List criteria were used to assess…

• PC
  Pew Charitable Trusts
• NM
  National Marine Fisheries Service