Atlas on the Elasmobranch fishery resources of India

Abstract

The elasmobranchs represented by sharks, skates (sawfishes,guitar fishes) and rays are an important group of demersal fishes which are exploited for multifarious uses of their various body parts such as the meat, fins, liver, teeth and the hide. While shark fins are considered as a delicacy fetching increased export market, their liver oil is utilized in pharmaceutical industry. Shark teeth is used for ornamental purposes and their hide for a variety of leather products. This increased commercial demand coupled with their characteristic life history pattern including slow growth rate, delayed maturation, long reproductive cycle, low fecundity and long life span and their trans-boundary migration pattern make them susceptible to over fishing. Because of this background, of late there had been a growing international awareness over the conservation and management of the elasmobranch stocks. This in turn necessitates an understanding of resource characteristics and eco-biological features of different species of sharks, skates and rays