ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF HARVESTED SHARK POPULATIONS

		Shark Conference 2000 Online Documents Honolulu, Hawaii February 21-24
Sponsored By: The Barbara Delano Foundation The Marisla Foundation The David & Lucile Packard Foundation The AVINA Foundation	Presented By: WildAid Hawaii Audubon Society Pacific Fisheries Coalition
ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF HARVESTED SHARK POPULATIONS
Colin Simpfendorfer Ph.D. Center for Shark Research Mote Marine Laboratory 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, FL, 34236 USA Telephone: (941) 388-4441 Fax: (941) 388-4312 Email: colins@mote.org Web site: http://www.mote.org/~colins/ColinsWebPage.htm Abstract Sharks face threats from a broad range of environmental conditions, both human-induced and naturally occurring. Sources of human-induced threatsinclude chemical pollution (e.g. heavy metals, organochlorines), thermal pollution (e.g. powerplant discharge), marine debris (e.g. plastics and garbage), habitat loss and degradation (e.g. dredging, clearing) and global warming. Natural environmental effects that may affect shark populations include climatic events such as El Nino and changes to ocean circulation. The impact of environmental effects are likely to be highest in freshwater, estuarine and coastal areas, and lowest in open ocean areas. There have been few documented studies of the role that these environmental factors play in affecting the health and survival of individuals, and what role they may play in causing the decline of shark populations. There will need to be a significant increase in the amount of research conducted on the impacts of environmental factors before the magnitude of their importance, relative to other anthropogenic effects (e.g. fishing), is understood.

Shark Conference 2000
Online Documents
Honolulu, Hawaii February 21-24

Sponsored By:
The Barbara Delano Foundation
The Marisla Foundation
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
The AVINA Foundation

Presented By:
WildAid
Hawaii Audubon Society
Pacific Fisheries Coalition

ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF HARVESTED SHARK POPULATIONS

Colin Simpfendorfer Ph.D.
Center for Shark Research
Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL, 34236
USA
Telephone: (941) 388-4441
Fax: (941) 388-4312
Email: colins@mote.org
Web site: http://www.mote.org/~colins/ColinsWebPage.htm

Abstract

Sharks face threats from a broad range of environmental conditions, both human-induced and naturally occurring. Sources of human-induced threatsinclude chemical pollution (e.g. heavy metals, organochlorines), thermal pollution (e.g. powerplant discharge), marine debris (e.g. plastics and garbage), habitat loss and degradation (e.g. dredging, clearing) and global warming. Natural environmental effects that may affect shark populations include climatic events such as El Nino and changes to ocean circulation. The impact of environmental effects are likely to be highest in freshwater, estuarine and coastal areas, and lowest in open ocean areas. There have been few documented studies of the role that these environmental factors play in affecting the health and survival of individuals, and what role they may play in causing the decline of shark populations. There will need to be a significant increase in the amount of research conducted on the impacts of environmental factors before the magnitude of their importance, relative to other anthropogenic effects (e.g. fishing), is understood.