The Darwin Elasmobranch Biodiversity Conservation and Management project in Sabah held a three-day international seminar that included a one-day workshop in order to highlight freshwater and coastal elasmobranch conservation issues in the region and worldwide, to disseminate the result of the project to other Malaysian states and countries, and to raise awareness of the importance of considering aspects of elasmobranch biodiversity in the context of nature conservation, commercial fisheries management, and for subsistence fishing communities. These proceedings contain numerous peer-reviewed papers originally presented at the seminar, which cover a wide range of topics, with particular reference to species from freshwater and estuarine habitats. The workshop served to develop recommendations concerning the future prospects of elasmobranch fisheries, biodiversity, conservation and management. This paper records those conclusions, which highlight the importance of elasmobranchs as top marine predators and keystone species, noting that permanent damage to shark and ray populations are likely to have serious and unexpected negative consequences for commercial and subsistence yields of other important fish stocks.

Since the award-winning first volume, The Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives, published in 2004, the field has witnessed tremendous developments in research, rapid advances in technology, and the emergence of new investigators beginning to explore issues of biodiversity, distribution, physiology, and ecology in ways that eluded more traditional

Elasmobranch - describes a group of fish without a hard bony skeleton, including sharks, skates, and rays.

Sharks in Mexico: Research and Conservation, Volume 83 in the Advances in Marine Biology series, provides in-depth and up-to-date reviews on all aspects of marine biology that will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology and biological oceanography. New chapters cover The Sharks of Pacific Mexico and their Conservation - Why Should we Care?, Biodiversity and Conservation of Sharks in Pacific Mexico, Shark Ecology, The Role of the Apex Predator and Current Conservation Status, Review of Current Genetic Analyses for Sharks of Pacific Mexico and Conservation Implications, and much more. Reviews articles on the latest advances in marine biology Authored by leading figures in their respective fields of study Presents material that is widely used by managers, students and academic professionals in the marine sciences

Northeast Pacific Shark Biology, Research and Conservation, Part A, Volume 77 highlights the biological attributes of, and the conservation efforts targeted at, populations of vulnerable sharks in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean bordering the west coast of the United States, one of the most economically and ecologically important oceanic regions in the world. Updates in this new volume include chapters on Biodiversity, Conservation and Life History of Northeastern Pacific Chondrichthyans, a Review of current genetic analyses of Northeast Pacific sharks and conservation implications, and a section on the Trophodynamics and ecological impacts of eastern North Pacific sharks. Brings together subject experts on all aspects of shark biology, ecology, fishery management and conservation Summarizes current knowledge Focuses scientific attention on key issues embedded in the concept of shark conservation, both from a species and an ecosystem perspective