Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction and Overview.
1. Introduction to Sharks of the Open Ocean.


2. Pelagic Elasmobranch Diversity.


3. The Reproductive Biology of Pelagic Elasmobranchs.


Part 2 Life History and Status of Pelagic Elasmobranchs.


Introduction.


4. The Biology and Ecology of Thresher Sharks (Alopiidae).


5. The Biology and Ecology of the White Shark, Carcharodon
carcharias.


6. Case study: White Shark Movements in the North Pacific
Pelagic Ecosystem.


7. The Biology and Ecology of the Shortfin Mako Shark, Isurus
oxyrinchus.


8. The Biology and Ecology of the Salmon Shark, Lamna
ditropis.


9. The Biology and Ecology of the Porbeagle Shark, Lamna
nasus.


10. The Biology and Ecology of the Silky Shark, Carcharhinus
falciformis.


11. The Biology and Ecology of the Oceanic Whitetip Shark,
Carcharhinus longimanus.


12. The Biology and Ecology of the Blue Shark, Prionace
glauca.


13. The Biology and Ecology of the Pelagic Stingray,
Pteroplatytrygon violacea (Bonaparte, 1832).


Part 3 Trends in Catches and Abundance of Pelagic Sharks.


Introduction.


14. A Global Overview of Commercial Fisheries for Open Ocean
Sharks.


15. Recreational Fishing for Pelagic Sharks Worldwide.


16. Case Study: Blue and Mako Shark Catch Rates in U.S. Atlantic
Recreational Fisheries as Potential Indices of Abundance.


17. Catches of Pelagic Sharks by Subsurface Longline Fisheries
in the South Atlantic Ocean During the Last Century: A Review of
Available Data with Emphasis on Uruguay and Brazil.


18. Case Study: Blue Shark Catch Rate Patterns from the
Portuguese Swordfish Longline Fishery in the Azores.


19. Case Study: Trends in Blue Shark Abundance in the Western
North Atlantic as Determined by a Fishery-Independent Survey.


20. Case Study: Elasmobranch Bycatch in the Pelagic Longline
Fishery off the Southeastern United States, 1992?1997.


21. Pelagic Shark Fisheries in the Indian Ocean.


22. Case Study: The Bycatch of Pelagic Sharks in
Australia?s Tuna Longline Fisheries.


23. Case Study: Catch and Management of Pelagic Sharks in Hawaii
and the U.S. Western Pacific Region.


24. Case Study: Pelagic Shark Fisheries Along the West Coast of
Mexico.


Part 4 Methods to Improve Understanding of Pelagic Sharks:
Demographics, Assessment, and Stock Structure.


Introduction.


25. Intrinsic Rates of Increase in Pelagic Elasmobranchs.


26. Shark Productivity and Reproductive Protection, and a
Comparison with Teleosts.


27. Comparative Life History and Demography of Pelagic
Sharks.


28. Molecular Markers and Genetic Population Structure of
Pelagic Sharks.


29. Case Study: Rapid Species Identification of Pelagic Shark
Tissues Using Genetic Approaches.


30. Stock Structure of the Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) in the
North Atlantic Ocean Based on Tagging Data.


31. Why Are Bayesian Methods Useful for the Stock Assessment of
Sharks?.


32. Embracing Movement and Stock Structure for Assessment of
Galeorhinus galeus Harvested off Southern Australia.


Part 5 Conservation and Management Outlook for Pelagic
Sharks.


Introduction.


33. Conservation Status of Pelagic Elasmobranchs.


34. Domestic and International Management for Pelagic
Sharks.


35. The Rise and Fall (Again) of the Porbeagle Shark Population
in the Northwest Atlantic.


36. Methods to Reduce Bycatch Mortality in Longline
Fisheries.


37. Data Collection, Research, and Assessment Efforts for
Pelagic Sharks by the International Commission for the Conservation
of Atlantic Tunas.


38. Pelagic Sharks and the FAO International Plan of Action for
the Conservation and Management of Sharks

About the Author

Merry Camhi, IUCN Sharks Specialist Group, USA

Ellen Pikitch, Pew Institute for Ocean Science, USA




Elizabeth Babcock, Pew Institute for Ocean Science, USA

Reviews

"The accessibility and accuracy of the text, combined with its low price, make this an ideal choice for the amateur naturalist's introduction to the herpetological world." (Quarterly Review of Biology, December 2008)