SALMON SHARK MA,Xl.'AE

AKU-B-86-00l C3

SALMON SHARK MA,xl.'AE. 7 hoDD c'l pE tMa'tlat 0 l a CEEHt rEt.'rt.'E J.lStE,I 1'tEE.E iE.,ah it i k, l. c'!>!a' t I"ii! Et.'IX' 1EEllEC 4 .E t Il f~'ti'tl I '

Brian Paust ta't and i,,'~Pgr at RonaldSmith:Xlaaka

Unl~ersity of .alaska Xlat. l9S6 Alaska Sea Grant College Program 590 University Avenue, Suite 'l02 Fairbanks, AK 99709-1046

SALHON SHARK HANUAL

by

Brian Paust Marine Advisory Program University of Alaska Petersburg, Alaska

and

Rona id Sml th University of Alaska Institute of Harine Science Fairbanks, Alaska

T. Frady Editor NATIGliALSEAGRANE DEPOSITORY PELLLIBRARY BUlLOlll6 UR1,NARRAGAHMTT SAYCAVPUS NAiNAGANSETT,RlG2INZ

~K- S G-86-0 l University of Alaska Hay l986 ACKHOWLEOGEHE ITS Thispublication is the resul t of worksponsored by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program, Project numbers A/71-01 and A/75-01, Grant number NA82AA-D- OOO44F,TheAlaska Sea Grant Program is cooperat ively sponsoredbylslOAA Offf ceof SeaGrant and Extra-Hura i Programs, U.S .Depa rtment of Cormerce; and bythe University of Alaskawi th fundsappropriated by the state. Theauthors would l ike to thankDick Reynolds of the Alaska Department of Coy~erceandEconomic Development Office of Commercial Fisheries Development forproviding the financial support to conduct the Southeast Alaska Salmon Sharkproject experimental fishery ~ Thanksalso to KyleSchlecta who volun- tariiyserved asofficial documentor duringthat project and to f/V ~Lesie Ann ownerand skipper Dale Bosworth for his assi stance and the use of several milesof halibutlongl ine during the experimental f ishery. The Ca 1 forniai Sea GrantCol lege Program graciously lentgangions foruse during the project. Technicalreview was provided bya numberofpeople. The authors appreciate andacknowledge thehelp of Sid Cook, ofArgus-Hariner inCorval 1 is,Oreg.; JohnDoyle ofthe University ofAlaska Marine Advisory Program inAnchorage, Alaska;Barry Bracken ofthe Alaska Department ofFish and Game inPetersburg, Alaska;Rich Randal 1 ofthe Alaska Department ofFish and Game inCordova, Alaska;JimParker ofSitka, Alaska; Terry Johnson of Sitka, Alaska; Michael Kaliof the Alaska Department ofFish and Game in Anchorage, Alaska; Bob Dvorakof Hawal l Shark Processors in Kapaau, Hawai i; Chri s DeweesandBob Priceofthe California SeaGrant College Program inDavis, Calif.; and Gregor Callilet ofHoss Landing Marine Labs in Moss Landing, Calif. TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction xiii l. SoutheastAlaska SalmonShark Project SEASSP! Project location Project description 3

Gear 5 12 Discussion , 2. Edibility 15 3. Review of Sharks Found in Alaska Waters Lamni dae: mackerel s har ks 19 Hexanchidae: cow sharks 25 Cetorhinidae: basking shark . 31 Carcharhinidae: requiem sharks 35 Squalidae: dogfish sharks 41 Squatinidae: angel sharks 47 Alopiidae: thresher sharks 51 55 4. Review of Alaskan Skates 5. SharkTaxonomy with Special Reference to the ElasmobranchFish 59 of Alaska Biological classification ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 59 6o Salmon shark or porbeagle7 ~ ~ ComprehensiveReview of SalmonShark Distribution 63 Geographicdi stribution of salmonshark in theNorth Paci f ic, 63 Distribution of the blue shark,a sympatricspecies 65 Sa1 monshark di st r ibut i on in A askaI water s 66 Reviewof fisheriesprojects in the NorthPacific considering factors relating to salmonshark distribution NorthPacific Fisheries Commission epipe'lag ic fisheries 70 survey of 1955 Amchitkabioenvironmenta 1 program of 1965-1971 70 JapanMarine Fishery Resource Research Center JAMARC! 1978-1980northwestern Pacific Oceansurvey 72 Canadianand West Coast flying squidexper imenta I fishery TABLE OF CONTENTS Cont lnued!

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Factorsinfluencing the concentration of fish speciesin the

+p

0 «luenceof watertemperature ondistribution of fish species 78

Vertical distribution of the salmonshark 81 Reviewof the temperaturestructure of the North Pacific

epipeiagic zone .... 83 Sharp sea surfacetemperature gradients in the westernand

eastern North Pacific: implicationsfor fisheries projects 86 Notes on the vertical distribution of sharks 87 7. FeedingSehav for andPrey Relationshipsof the SalmonShark 89 Bistribvt ion of pelagic fish andtheir prey 89 Review of prey detection strategies 90 Predatory behavior of the salmon shark 90 Predatory behaviorand its relation to vertical and horizontal Alove II%n t I ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ 93 Shark predation on the Pacific salmon 96 Known sa lmon shark prey 102

8. Reviewof the FunctionalBiology and Physiology of the Lamnid 103 Sha rks 9, Shark ReproductiveStrategies ...... ,...... 123 10. Shark Growth 13'l 11. SuaMnaryLl st of Knownand Suspected Sa lmon Shark. Behavior 133 12. Reviewof FundamentalProblems of ElasmobranchFisheries 137 Management ~ ~ ~ Significant problemsfacing the shark fisheries manager i 39 SalmonShark Researchand Harvesting ln Japan i 55 Salmonshark f i shinggear used in theJapanese f 1 shery 157 Reviewof the salmonshark commercial fishery and research catch statistics producedin Japanesefisheries 158

lv TABLE OF CONTENTS Continuedj

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14. North American and EuropeanShark Flsherias; Review of Fishing Methods and Gear ...... ,....,...,...... ,.....,.....,..., 165

Shark longl lnlng gear ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~e ~ + +~ o~ ~ ~ ~~ e e ~ t ~ e i68 Basic description of longl lne components: gang lans 178 Basic description of longline components; bait select Ion .. 185 The development of the salmon shark dragline 189 The potential use of vertical longllnes ln Alaskan shark

f i sher les 192 The potential use of gt llnets In Alaskan shark fisheries 196 Some conclusions concerning the salmon shark project 197 15. The Development of Sport Fisheries for the Salmon Shark In 201

Alaska . 16. Compiled LIst of Practical Shark Fishing Strategies with Special Attention to Coalnerclal Harvesting of Salmon Shark .....,...... 203 Equ'Ipment and operation 203 Behavior and biological factors 204 Fishing operations 205

Gear . ~ 925 ~ 206 Handling 211 Harketlng AWED ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ 92~ ~ 4y+ ~ ~ ~ 92 212 17. Reviewof ContemporaryShark FoodProducts and Conmercial By-Products ~ ~ 4 ~ ~ t ~ 4 F 4' ~ 213 18. A Reviewof the Characteristics and Preparation of Shark Meat 215 215 Introduction ~ ~' AD + 4 ~ + A brief review of consumer attitudes toward shark meat 218 Shark meat market forms with special attention to the marketing of salmon shark and porbeagle shark 221 224 Yield e t ~ ~e ~ ~ ~ Other considerations 225 Shark meat and human nutrition 227 The preparation of shark meat 230 19. SomeFrank Coelnents About HercuryContamination in the North 231 Pacific Ocean TABLEOF CONTENTS Continued!

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introduction . . - - ~ I ~ 231 Hercury In Alaskanmarine waters 232 Current regu'Ia'tionsper'taining to mercury in seafoods 235 20, SharkQuality ControlStandards: Background information for Shark Harvesters and Processors 237 I nt rocluct I on ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~+ ~ 237 /vali ty contro 1 st rateg I es ~ ~ ~ t ~ 4 ~ ~ 238 Review of body parts ~ ++ t ~ ~ ~ 238 Thc nature and elimination of urea in shark meat 239 Harvesting methodand product quality 245 RevIew of quality control procedures suggested for use aboard fishing vessels .. 247 The necessity of proper onboard sanitary practices 250 Onboardchil ling and freezing of shark meat 251 The "burnt tuna" phenomenon:a potential problem for

sharks T 253 Comserclai processing and cold storage of shark meat: a

review ...,. 254 Testing procedures to determine quality of shark meat 257 21, The HandlIng of Shark Onboard Small Fishing Vessels 259 22. Economic Iaekground of World Shark Fisheries with Attention to the Ocvaloping Salmon Shark Fisheries of the North Pacific 269 Patterns of nodern shark exploitation 269 U.S. and world shark production levels 270 Expansion of U.S. domestic markets for lesser known marine fish and shel'Ifish species: incentives for prospective

shark marketers 273 Genera! domestic marketing t rends for shark meat 274 Overviewof basic shark productmarketing strategies 275

Proposedshark marketing strategies 27> Potential economicvalue of shark production in U S- regional fisheries 2B:

VI TABLEOF CONTENTS Continued!

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Introduction to Economfc problems fn pefagic shark fisher fes from a management perspective 285 Review of the economics of the Japanese dfrected fishery on

salmon shark ....,...,...,,..., 287 8rief review of processed salmon shark products of potential economfcvalue in the proposedAlaskan f Ishery 288 Traditional coImnercial f'Ishlng methods for pelagic shark species: the economic perspective ,...... 289 23. Processing and Marketfng Shark Fins 293

Introduction ... 293

Some structural consIderetlons 293 Marketability of shark fins 295 1nltlaf fin processing 298 Flnaf processing of fins 300 Marketing shark fins 302 Culinary use of shark fins 305 Shark's F'In Soup 306 24. Processfngand Marketing SharkSy-Products: Blood Serum, Cartilage, and Livers 307 I ntroduct i on 307 H eparin 4 ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ 307 Artificial skin 307 Shark cert i lage and anti-cancer pharmaceutieels 308 Shark blood and serum In anti-cancer pharmaceutfeels ...... 309 Use of shark livers for preparation of fndustrial and pharmaceutical products 311 Economics and marketing of shark livers 311 Review of the composftifonof shark lfver oil 5 e ~ 313 8rief review of handling methodsfor shark I lvers 316 25. The Processingand Marketingof Shark Hides 317

I nt rodu c t I on 317 Market specifications for shark hides »8

VI I TASL

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Processing and Harketfng Shark Jaw Sets and Teeth ...... 323 lntrodUct ion o ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ as ~~ oo, ~, ~ 323 PrOCeSsfnglndlvfdual shark teeth 324 Preparation of Jaw sets . 324

Appendfx l: initial Processing of Shark Fins 325 Appendix 2: Potential Purchasers of Trimmed Shark Fins 337 Appendix 3: FutUre ResearchOpportunities involving the Oeveiopment

of Salmon Shark Flsherles 347 Appendix 4: feteetlel fishery for the MudShark Hexaechus~riseus!

in SoutheaStern AlaSka ...... 35l Appendix 5; SeaGrant institution and GovernmentAgency Addresses 355 Appendix 6: Potential Purchasers for Preserved Shark Livers and Shark Livei' Ol 15 ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~o ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~o ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~ o 361 Appendix7: Potential Purchasersof Shark Heat: Review of U.S. OomasticDealers and Samplingof Europeanand Asian Na fkets eoo~ ~~ ~o ~o ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~oo ~ ~ ~~ ~ e~ ~ ~ ~o ~ ~~ o~ o~ ~ 363

AppendixB: Potential Purchasersof PreservedShark Hides 399

ReferenCes ~ ~~ ~~ ~O ~' o o ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ o~ ~ ~ o~ oo ~ ~ ~~ ~e ~ I ~ ~ o~ ~~ ~o ~o ' ~ ~~ ~ 403 LIST OF FIGURES

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Figure 1. StephensPassage... Figure 2. Longlinefishing methodfor blue shark as practiced on the conmerci a'I fishing vessel JJ

Figure 3. Salmon shark 21

FIgure 4. Mhite shark 23

Figure 5. Sixgill shark ...,. 27

Figure 6. SevengiIl shark 29

Figure 7. Basking shark 33

Figure 8. Soupfin shark 37

Figure 9. Blue shark . 39 Figure 10. Pacific sleeper shark 43 Figure 11. Spiny dogfish shark . 45 Figure 12. Pacific angel shark ...... ,...... ,...... ~ 49 Figure 13. Thresher sha rk y y y 92~ qy yy ~ ~ y ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ 53 Figure 14. Typical skate showingposition of cuts used to separate the pectoral fins or "wings" from the mal-n body of the

skate 56

Figure 15. Diagram of the starry skate 57 Figure 16. Distribution of salmon shark and blue shark in North

Pacific Ocean 64

Figure l7 Map of Southeast Alaska ~ ~ 67 Figure 18 Hap of North Pacific Ocean and associated current

systems ~ t ~O ~ ~ t ~ ~ Figure 19. Optimumwater temperature spectra of Important fishes In Japan ~ i i ~ i+i ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ Bo Figure 20. Along-channelsections of water temperaturefrom western end Juan de Fuca Strait to northern end Strait of Gcorg I a ~ t~ ~~ ~w t~ +~ 82 Figure 21. Average sea surface temperatures for March 84 Figure 22. Average sea surface temperature during August 85 Figure 23. Depth pattern for a I-ton white shark on the continental shelf south of Long Island, kew York 95

IX LIST OF FIGURES Continued!

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Figure 24. External anatomy of the "typfcal" shark 104 Figure 25. T salmon shark ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~i ~~ .~ ~~ ~~, ~ ~~ ~~ +~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 105

Figure 26. Oentitfon of ~ salmon shark ...,,...,,...,...,.....,. 108 Figure 27. Ofagram of the main blood vessels of a shark Bs seen in

1etere 1 vl ew ...... ~ ~~ ~ t t ~ ~t 5 4 ~ 4 ~ < ~t ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ 113 Figure 28. Semi"dlagraneatfc drawingaf the principal features of the cardiovascular system of selman Figure 29. Temperature distribution ln e bluef fn tuna Figure 30. Olstrlbutfon of temperature in cross section {A~ 6!and

plan {C! views af a blgeye tune ...... ,.... 117

Ffgure 31. Temperaturedistribution ln a mekoshark ....,....,..... 118 F lgure 32. ffody temperature records from the blue shark and the

mska 1 i~ es ~~ t~ 1I +i ~ ~~ ~a i~ ~ I~

Figure 33. External sexualcharacteristics af typfcal sharks,..... 124 Figure 34. Thresher «hark catch and catch per unft effort In

Ca'llfornfe fishery ~4 ~4 ~44 g t~ ~~ ~ ~~ 4~ 4~ +~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 140 Figure 35. Kfasmabrench data sheet 152 Figure 36' Iodysfeesuremsnts of significance to fisherfes manager.. 153 Figure 37. Thechain longline consists of six ta ten flaats and a

'line, and maybe operated as e unit ...... 1 70 Figure 38. Exampleof anchared float'lng longline ...... ,...... 172 Ffgure 39. A: Typical Cubanlonglfne. I: Typical Florida loagifnc

wfth Cyalumefights attached ta gangfons 173 Figure 40. Exampleof demersal shark longline ...... ~ ~. 177 Figure 41. I tc f- tt n II Stuck gear vs. snap-on gear 179 Figure 42. Example of hybrid gangian 182 Figure 43. /methodof Joining twa mainline sections, and details of

wire brld'fe and branch-line attachments 183 Figure 44. Shark fishing hooks 184 Figure 45, Spreaderbar - lfngcad madefrom stainless crab pot trfgger wire , ~ ~ 4 ~ ~ 190 F fgure 46. Varfetfan of dragline as used in Japaneseinshore

~ sher I cs ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~ i ~~ 191 l.IST OF FiGURES Continued!

Figure47. Vertical longlineused in near-shoreshark fishery in Hawai ian I slands 193

Figure 48. Vertical longline 194

Figure 49. Cubanand Florida longline systems 195 Figure 50. Exampleof demersal shark glllnet 198 Figure Diagram of dressed carcass ...,...... 265 Figure 52. Position of ventral caudal bleeding cut 266 Figure 53. Sections of shark fins 294 Figure 54. Shark fins normally sold in coassercial markets ...... 296

Figure 55. Schematic of prepared fin 301 Figure 56. Basic steps in the prel lminary preparation of a "square

cut" shark hide 320 E 1ST OF iELUSTRATtONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

Pa>ac illustration 'i Sharks entangled in surface 1 ining gear i 1 lustrat ion 2 Shark tai l l asso assembly illustration 3 Shark rack 262

Photo l Gorse t f in of oceani c whi te-t i pped shark . 32,8 Peto 2 Retriasning cut using a band sa~ .. 328 .Photo 3 Properly trialsad dorsal fin ...,. 329 Photo 4 T~ untriasned pectoral fl ns 329 Photo 5 Ci rcle cut o ~i ~ ~ ~o ~ i ~ ~ ~~ i ~ ~e 1~ ~~ ~ ~ ~i ~ i ~ ~ ~~ 3$O Photo 6 Properly trislaed pectoral f in 330 Photo 7 Tail fin of a a>hite-tip shark . 33> Photo 8 Separating imagerlobe from the tali fin ..... 33l Photo 9 Round cut to separate lowar lobe from tail 332

Photo 10 'I/lashing f ins +~ ~e i i+ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ e a 332

Photo ll Orying f ins on a l inc . 4 ~ ~~ ~ ~ 4 4 ~ ~ ~ 333

Photo 12 Complete set Of f 1 nS ~ ~~ ~ o a aa +~ ~ ~ ~~ ~i ~ 333 Photo 13 Standard Neasureeent to determine fin size ....., Photo l4 'Neigh'ing fins 5 ~~ ~ ~ ~~ I ~ ~~ r 0 ~~ 44. ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ t 1 ~ ~ 334 Photo >g Finished dried shark fin product 335 LIST OF TABLES

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9 Table 1. project statistics and summaryreport ...... 55 Table 2. Skate species found in Alaska .. Table 3. Shark families of North America.... 59 Table4. Suasnaryof the 1955North Pacific FisheriesCoaIaisslon epipelagic fisheries survey 71

Table 5 Comparat'iveswimming speeds of the bull sharkand some Pacific salmon cm/secj 93 Table6. Tolerableand preferred temperatures for Pacific salmon g6 101 Table 7. Percentageof woundtypes per samplesize . Table 8. Numberof f ish in each woundcategory I f percentagesare applied to the tote'I harvest Table9. Reviewof bodyand ambient water temperatures for several comnercialfish species expressedas a temperature 119 differentiai Table10. Averagebody length of sharksfrom 296 of 35dknown shark 131 species Table1 l. Relationshipbetween fecundity, pup weight and length for 144 three northern sharks

Table 12. Catchper unit of effort of localpelagic shark fishery at 149 Main Beach, Durban, Australia

Table 13 Japaneseexperimental salmon shark fishery using floating long'iines, April 'l4, 1979to March28, 1980 159

Table 14. Japaneseexperimental salmon shark fishery using floating longlines, Apri l '13,1g80 to December13,1980 l60

Table 15. Japaneseexperimental salmon drift gilinet epipelagic f ishery, Apri 1 14,1979 to February7, 1980 161

Table 16 Resultsof Japanesestudy comparing theefficiencies of giI lnetand, longline gear for capturing sharks onthe high 162 seas 222 Table 17. Marketforms for salmonshark ln Kensennuma,Japan 227 Table 18. Majorconstituents of shark meat fram six species L lST OF TABLES Cont inuedj

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Table19. Soem compari sons of nutrit lanaivalues of variousf i sh 228 species ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Table20. Cholestero'lcontent of somefoods 229 Table21. Allowable mercury levels for food-stuffsin several 231 count r les ~ ~ t ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ t ~ ~ Table22. iiean total mercurylevel of significantHorth Pacific 235 cuweerciai fish . 24O Table 23. Chemicalcomposition of majorshark body parts ...... Tabie 24. Urea,and VHAO content of severalshark species, percentageof total meatweight 24i 244 Table 25. Timerequired to leachurea from meat soaked in water....

Table 26.Comparison ef-per capita seafood consumption in selected 276 count r 1es ~ t ~ ~ t ~ ~ t t ~ t ~ ~ t ~ t ~ t ~ ~ 276 Tab le 27, AnnualU.S. per capitaconsumption of selected foods

Table 28.The major seafood product categories, listed in orderof 1981 retail market value ., 278

Table 29. U.S.retail seafoodpurchases for $981with focuson supermarketsales of fresh and frozen fish 279 28O Tab le 30. Regionalpenetration of seafoodpurchases t ~ 282 Table 31. Tiger sharkby-product prices, 1982 283 Table 32, Shark body part percentages 33.Some combined fin weightsof Pacificshark expressed as a percentageof total bodyweight 295 Table34. The chemical composition of the fins fromseveral common 295 Pacific Ocean sharks 297 Table 35. Percentageweight of individualfins in a set

Table 36.Early major grades of sharkfins in orderof economic 298 importance 3O4 Table 37.Some prices for exoticseafood products in HongKong

Table 38.The percentage of body weight of iivers in severalNorth Pacific Ocean shark species 311

XIV LIST OF TABLES Continued!

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Table39. Vitamin4 andO potenciesof liver oils fromsome shark 3'I4 spec I es ~ a~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ee + ~ ~o ~~ ~ Table40. Hydrocarbon squalene! contents of somePeel flc shark 315 I i vers Table 41. Someprices for shark hides in Europeanand Japanese 3'I 9 markets ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

INTRODUCTION

The salmon shark, i.amnadi tro is, is a large, free-ranging predator of the North Pacific Oceanthat requents the temperate coasts of Asia and North America. It I s warm-blooded Smith and Rhodes, l983! and highly edible. I t is part of the fish communitiesfound in southeasternAlaska and adjacent re- gions. A fish communityis a more-or-less permanentassemblage of marine species. Thesecommunities are subject to various cyclical modifications causedby routine environmentaland blological change Isakson, 5lmenstadand Burgner 1971! . The salmon shark is well knownto comnercial fishermen, particularly those targeting pacific salmon. A numberof sport fi shermanhave also become interested in pursuingthis shark. The species Is best knownfrom its sea- sonal surface aggregattons in Alaska'ssouthern Inshorewaters from July through September. The history of shark f isheries in the United States is short comparedwith that of f i sheries for other major species. Decadesago, fortunes were madein shark fisheries along both coasts of this nation, basedprimarily on a single commodity:shark I iverscontaining natural vitaminA. Relatively few years ago,pelagic shark fisheries were reintroduced in the southwestand along the Gulf Coast by innovativefishermen and processors. They were interestedin severaI products,but predominantlyin meat. Thesemarketing experiments have become viable and expanding fisheries. ElsewhereIn the world the needfor newsources of protein has madeshark f'Isheries inevitable. Suchdevelopment may also reflect secondarybenefits associatedwith locaI shark fisheries, includingreducing shark predation on morefavored species and reducing damage to fishinggear caused by predatory sharks Ronsivalli 1978!. Revivalof U.S. shark fisheries is probablymore attributab'le to economics. Horefisheries are neededfor the i ndustry to sucessfullydivers ify and increaseits stability. Theappearance of domestic markets for sharkunder- scoresa recent trend. in searchingfor alternative protein sources,con- sumersare turningto seafood.They are more sophisticated about seafood products,have increased their demand and are willing to payhigher retai'I prices.Consumers arelearning that shark can be substituted forswordfish at a fraction af thecost . Processors,wholesalers, and retailers taki ng advan- tageof this trendare demandinghigh quality products. Thekey points in thisdiscussion areinnovation in the fishing industry and thesearch for stability. Thisreport describes "innovative" fishing methods thatcould be used to developan Alaskan fishery for the salmonshark. By risingto commercialstatus, this once obscure species would add to thenumber of fisheriesavailable to Alaskanfishermen. Even small-scale commercial operationswould increase economic stability in theregional inshore fish- eries. A numberof years wi I I passbefore a stableAlaskan shark fi sheryi sestab- lished. In mostindustries, the general adoption of a workableinnovation mightrequi re 20years Cunningham andWhi tmarsh 1979! . Development of a salmonshark fishery will probablynot be an exceptionto this pattern.

XVII This report consfders a variety of subjects related to an Alaskan shark fishery. It also anticipates someof the questions this enterprise would raise wfth fishermen, processors and fishery managers. In addition, a state- funded axperfmentaf shark fishery project, the Southeas-t Alaska Salmon Shark Project SKASSP!,is a Iso described.

Alaska's fisheries are intensely competitive. This competi tion encourages the development and spread oi' technical innovation and changes business strate- gies. To stay fn business, an individual fishing operation must stay both Innovative and technically competent in order to receive and mai ntai n a fair market share. Dtherwfse, the operation will be crowded out by more competi- tlve boats.

Becauseof thfs ccarrpetftfon, there are fishermen ln every region of Alaska who would probably try experimental conlnercfaf shark fIshing. This is a problem for managers. An aggressive inltfa'I fishery would probably result in over- fishfng the virg1n shark stocks. Poorly controlled fisheries are part icu I arly dangerous to elasmobranch fishes such aa shark and skates because of thei r limited reproductivecapacity. This type of maturational problemis commonin artynew fishery; However,Information contained in this report can moderate the developmenta1problems and help design a "rational" fishery. To achievegeneral adoptfonof an fnnovation, in this case smaI I and care- fully controlled regional shark fisheries, workersmust guide their project throughfive dfstfnct stages adaptedfrom Stephenson!980': 'I- Makethe fndustryavrare of the fnnovation' s potential or value. Z. Provide neededbackground information, 3. Provide sufficient detail for technical and f fnanclal evaluation . Conduct a successful trial. genera 1 adop t I on. This report attemptsto satisfy stages l to 4. Thetarget for this publfcatlon ls a selectgroup of Alaskanfishermen, processors,end managers who are innovatorsor early adoptersof newmethods. Thesetwo groups account for about15 percent of mostagricultural work forces.Moat of' the remaining groups are tanned "laggards" or "slow adopters" Muthand ffendee Te80! e80!. Thetype of fnformatlonneeded by each group varies. Innovatorsrequire focused technical information Stephenson f980! andthis reportshou'ld satisfy some of thatneed for thosefnterested fn a pelagic sharkfishery, Thereport might also be helpful fnn e the wor ld' s ot h er d eve lop- AccordingtoSafnabury 977!, this project «ill besuccessfuf only If the innovationsit describes areaccepted, used and retained over a longterm. Thfsreport deals with a varietyof topicsdeali I h h Al askanwaters and shark fisheries fn general,Topicsng w t includer t e salmon shark in Reviewof theSoutheast Alaska Salmon Shark Project SEASSP! Revfewof the sharks,rays and related s 1 i Al Salmonshark biology anddistribution spec es n Alaskan ~aters

xvl I I Harvestingand processingmethods from North 4merican and Japanese shark fisheries Economicsof a potent ia I shark fishery Shark fishery management Shark and shark by-product processing Summaryof research needs for an Alaskan salmon shark fishery