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4.11 [Other which are not deep water or highly migratory]

4.11.1 Elasmobranch

Approximately 145 chondrichthyan species are listed as occurring in European waters (Table 4.11.1.1; Bailly et al., 2001), though this includes many species that are found either in the Mediterranean, or that have northerly records in the NE Atlantic off either Northwest or (i.e. south of ICES Division IX). Many of these species are deep-water species for which the biology is poorly known.

2-958 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

Table 4.11.1.1 List of chondrichthyan fishes reported to occur in European (following Bailly et al., 2001).

Common name Latin name 1 Sharpnose sevengill Heptranchias perlo 2 griseus 3 Bigeye sixgill shark Hexanchus nakamurai 4 anguineus 5 shark Rhincodon typus 6 Ginglymostoma cirratum 7 Sant shark taurus 8 ferox 9 Odontaspis noronhai 10 owstoni 11 carcharias 12 Shorfin mako oxyrinchus 13 Longfin mako Isurus paucus 14 shark nasus 15 Cetorhinus maximus 16 Alopias superciliosus 17 Alopias vulpinus 18 aphyodes 19 Apristurus laurussonii 20 Apristurus manis 21 Apristurus microps 22 Largenose catshark Apristurus nasutus 23 Atlantic sawtail catshark atlanticus 24 Blackmouthed dogfish Galeus melastomus 25 Galeus murinus 26 Lesser-spotted dogfish canicula 27 Nurse hound Scyliorhinus stellaris 28 Pseudotriakis microdon 29 Barbeled hound shark Leptocharias smithii 30 Tope shark Galeorhinus galeus 31 Starry smooth hound Mustelus asterias 32 Smooth hound Mustelus mustelus 33 Blackspot smooth hound Mustelus punctulatus 34 Atlantic weasel shark pectoralis 35 altimus 36 Carcharhinus brevipinna 37 Carcharhinus falciformis 38 Carcharhinus galapagensis 39 Carcharhinus isodon 40 Carcharhinus leucas 41 Carcharhinus limbatus 42 Carcharhinus longimanus 43 Blacktip shark Carcharhinus melanopterus 44 Carcharhinus obscurus 45 Carcharhinus plumbeus 46 Carcharhinus signatus 47 cuvier 48 brevirostris 49 Prionace glauca 50 acutus

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-959 51 lewini 52 Sphyrna mokarran 53 Smalleye hamerhead Sphyrna tudes 54 Sphyrna zygaena 55 fabricii 56 Great lantern shark princeps 57 Smooth lantern shark Etmopterus pusillus 58 Velvet belly Etmopterus spinax 59 coelolepis 60 Longnose Centroscymnus crepidater 61 Shortnose velvet dogfish Centroscymnus cryptacanthus 62 dogfish garricki 63 obscurus 64 Scymnodon ringens 65 shark microcephalus 66 Somniosus rostratus 67 centrina 68 Oxynotus paradoxus 69 Dalatias licha 70 Spined laticaudus 71 granulosus 72 Centrophorus lusitanicus 73 Centrophorus squamosus 74 Centrophorus uyato 75 calcea 76 Rough longnose dogfish Deania hystricosa 77 Arrowhead dogfish Deania profundorum 78 Squalus acanthias 79 Squalus blainvillei 80 Squalus megalops 81 brucus 82 Sawback angel shark Squatina aculeata 83 Smoothback angel shark Squatina oculata 84 Angel shark Squatina squatina 85 Smalltooth Pristis pectinata 86 Common sawfish Pristis pristis 87 nobiliana 88 Marbled electric ray Torpedo marmorata 89 Common electric ray Torpedo torpedo 90 Blackchin cemiculus 91 Common guitarfish Rhinobatos rhinobatos 92 Arctic Amblyraja hyperborea 93 Jensen's skate Amblyraja jenseni 94 Thorny skate/Starry ray Amblyraja radiata 95 Pallid skate Bathyraja pallida 96 Richardson's skate Bathyraja richardsoni 97 Spinetail skate Bathyraja spinicauda 98 Dipturus batis 99 Sailray Dipturus linteus 100 Norwegian skate Dipturus nidarosiensis 101 Long-nose skate Dipturus oxyrinchus 102 Sandy ray Leucoraja circularis

2-960 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

103 Shagreen ray Leucoraja fullonica 104 Maltese skate Leucoraja melitensis 105 Cuckoo ray Leucoraja naevus 106 Krefft's skate Malacoraja kreffti 107 Prickled skate Malacoraja spinacidermis 108 Blue pygmy skate Neoraja caerulea 109 African skate Raja africana 110 Atlantic starry skate Raja asterias 111 Blonde ray Raja brachyura 112 Thornback ray Raja clavata 113 Madeira skate Raja maderensis 114 Smalleyed ray Raja microocellata 115 Brown ray Raja miraletus 116 Spotted ray Raja montagui 117 Speckled skate Raja polystigma 118 Rough skate Raja radula 119 Rondelet's skate Raja rondeleti 120 Undulate ray Raja undulata 121 Deepwater skate Rajella bathyphila 122 Bigelow's skate Rajella bigelowi 123 Round skate Rajella fyllae 124 Mid-Atlantic skate Rajella kukujevi 125 White skate Rostroraja alba 126 Roughtail Dasyatis centroura 127 Common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca 128 Tortonese's stingray Dasyatis tortonesei 129 Dasyatis violacea 130 Leopars stingray Himantura uarnak 131 Round fantail stingray grabata 132 Spiny butterfly ray Gymnura altavela 133 Myliobatis aquila 134 Bull ray Pteromylaeus bovinus 135 Lusitanean cownose ray Rhinoptera marginata 136 Manta Manta birostris 137 Giant devil ray Mobula mobular 138 Sicklefin devil ray Mobula tarapacana 139 Rabbit monstrosa 140 Small-eyed rabbitfish affinis 141 Large-eyed rabbitfish Hydrolagus mirabilis 142 Hydrolagus pallidus 143 Smallspine spookfish haeckeli 144 Narrownose chimaera Harriotta raleighana 145 Spearnose chimaera Rhinochimaera atlantica

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-961 Stock status

Assessment of the status of deepwater and of pelagic sharks is particularly difficult owing to a lack of species- specific catch data and the straddling and/or highly migratory nature of these stocks. A summary of information on individual species is provided below.

Many species of sharks and rays are characterized by life history strategies characterised by long life-spans, high age at maturity, and slow growth. Experience shows that species with such conservative life history strategies can be depleted very quickly and that recovery will be slow. Regeneration and growth are so slow that abundance does not increase in the depleted populations in the short or medium term. Most, though not all elasmobranchs in the ICES area, have exhibited declines under pressure of exploitation. Those with conservative life-histories have shown the strongest declines.

Data

Fisheries data for elasmobranchs in the ICES area are very poor. Many species are landed and reported using generic categories. Some species are landed and identified by species, for example spurdog. But landings data for this species are confused by the practice of combining with other species in categories such as dogfish and hounds or various . ICES is still in the process of disaggregating these generic sharks categories. Ray and skate landings data are mostly generic, though a few countries collect species-specific information. The generic data for each area must be disaggregated using market-sampling. Such sampling is now being carried out in EU countries under the Data Collection Regulation. In most areas, 4 or 5 ray species comprise the catches. Historical data will be more problematic to split.

Particular problems arise with pelagic sharks, mainly caught in and billfish . For this group, none of the main fishing countries collect species-specific data, nor even data that could allow identification of landings as pelagic sharks. The use of the category n.e.i. sharks not elsewhere identified is widespread for pelagic sharks. For mako and blue sharks, ICES is only a small part of the stock area and efforts at assessment have been by ICCAT. However, the lack of complete catch, landings or dead discards data has hampered these efforts. There is in particular a lack of data from the ICES area for these pelagic sharks.

In the case of deepwater sharks, the data quality is also poor. The particular problem here is the use, by many countries, of sharks not elsewhere identified category. A few countries have species-specific landings data, though fewer have all their deepwater shark landings so classified. Some countries do have a category for deepwater sharks, separated from pelagic or demersal forms. But it is still difficult to disaggregate these by species (there are two main commercially exploited deepwater species). It is planned that, by 2005, ICES will have disaggregated all elasmobranch catch data into species categories and by species, as far as possible.

Catch quotas only exist for rays and skates in the North , and for non-EU vessels targeting some species such as porbeagle, spurdog and basking shark in EU waters. The accuracy of the landings data might be expected to be good, because there is no incentive to misreport. However, fishermen may report quota species such as , saithe or monkfish as spurdogs or rays, to avoid restrictive quotas. Thus, landings data may be overestimates. There is no information that landings data for elasmobranchs are less or more reliable than those for other species.

Commercial landings and effort data are only available for spurdog, some rays and deepwater sharks in certain areas.

Spurdog

Squalus acanthias is a widely distributed species occurring throughout the ICES area, and also widespread in the NW Atlantic, Pacific and other major oceans. The DELASS project (Heessen, 2003) decided that the evidence from tagging information indicated that there was one stock in the NE Atlantic, because the number of documented transatlantic migrations was extremely low in relation to the number of fish tagged. Thus, ICES assessments of stock status are based on a single stock distributed from the north of the to the Norwegian Sea and including the following ICES regions: IIa, IIIa, IV, V, VI and VII.

Description of fisheries

One of the most important commercial elasmobranchs, with catches in directed and fisheries. There have been directed longline and gillnet fisheries in IIa, Iva, VIa, VIIa and VIIb-k and there are bycatches from demersal otter trawl and seine fisheries throughout the range of the stock.

2-962 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

Catch data

Though not complete, the landings data for spurdogs (Figure 4.11.1.1) show a marked decline since the mid-1980s. In earlier times, up to 60 000 t were landed annually in the early 1960s.

60000 Landings of Spurdog by reporting category Dogfish and hounds

50000 Dogfish

40000 (DGX)

30000 Squalus acanthius

20000

10000

0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Figure 4.11.1.1 Preliminary total landings data of spurdog (Squalus acanthias), dogfish and hounds, not elsewhere identified, Squalidae and Dogfish for ICES Subareas combined. (ICES, 2004)

Stock status

No new information. Experimental assessments were carried out at SGEF (ICES, 2002) and presented in Heessen (2003). Further experimental assessments were conducted by WGEF in 2003 (ICES, 2003). These experimental assessments suggest that the spurdog stock has undergone a marked decline and is probably depleted.

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-963

Portuguese dogfish in the ICES area

The stock structure is poorly understood, but the DELASS project considered that available information suggests a single stock in the NE Atlantic. Thus, ICES assessments of stock status are based on a single stock distributed along the continental slopes of from the to and along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from Iceland to the Azores. This stock may also extend to waters further south, at Madeira, the Canaries, and the African coast.

Description of fisheries

Taken in deepwater trawl, longline and gillnet fisheries. These fisheries began in 1991 and before that the species was not exploited. French trawlers, UK and German longliners and gillnetters in VI and VII are the main fleets targeting this species. There are also directed longline fisheries in VIII and IX and some bycatches from XII.

Catch data

Catch data allowing a picture of landings of this species are not available. It is landed along with leafscale gulper sharks and reported together by . For most other countries only sharks nei data are available. A minimum working group estimate of landings of this species is presented in Table 4.11.1.2.

Table 4.11.1.2 Minimum estimate of landings of Portuguese dogfish, all areas (t). Data incomplete. (ICES, 2004)

IVa Va Vb VIa VIb VIb VII VIII IXa X XII Total Hatton Bank Rockall Bank 1988 n.a. 1989 n.a. 1990 n.a. 1991 651 651 1992 1 692 693 1993 1 607 19 627 1994 576 576 1995 60 810 870 1996 282 54 777 1113 1997 1 226 4 43 6 927 1207 1998 2 5 79 51 27 67 858 1089 1999 1 53 53 2 24 544 1 678 2000 1 35 425 33 50 27 21 611 505 1708 2001 3 9 505 120 504 619 21 620 747 3148 2002 1 6 n.a. 24 257 586 1 875 2003 10 133 1223 335 777 572 4 3054

Total 18 7 878 2267 153 985 1807 66 8831 1277 16289

Stock status

This species cannot be assessed separately from leafscale gulper shark because most landings and effort data are combined. However, there is evidence of declines in CPUE up to 2001 and there is no evidence that the situation has changed. This species is more vulnerable to exploitation than leafscale gulper shark, because the entire reproductive phase of the species is present in the main fishing area. Therefore, the CPUE trends likely underestimate the decline in the abundance of this species.

2-964 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

Leafscale gulper shark in the ICES area

The stock structure is poorly understood, but the DELASS project considered that available information suggests a single stock in the NE Atlantic. Thus, ICES assessments of stock status are based on a single stock distributed along the continental slopes of Europe from the Faroe Islands to Portugal and along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from Iceland to the Azores. This stock may also extend to waters further south, at Madeira, the Canaries and the African coast.

Description of fisheries

Taken in deepwater trawl, longline and gillnet fisheries. These fisheries began in 1991 and before that the species was not exploited. French trawlers, UK and German longliners, and gillnetters in VI and VII are the main fleets targeting this species. There are also directed longline fisheries in VIII and IX and some bycatches from XII.

Catch data

Catch data allowing a picture of landings of this species are not available. It is landed along with Portuguese dogfish and reported together by France. For most other countries only sharks nei data are available. A minimum working group estimate of landings of this species is presented in Table 4.11.1.3.

Table 4.11.1.3 Minimum estimate of landings of Centrophorus squamosus in all areas (t). Data incomplete. (ICES, 2004) IV a Va Vb Via VIb VIb VII VIII IXa X XII Total Hatton Bank Rockall Bank Hatton Bank 1988 560 560 1989 507 507 1990 475 475 1991 424 424 1992 422 422 1993 339 339 1994 579 579 1995 544 544 1996 412 412 1997 1 3 0 384 0 388 1998 0 0 38 362 4 404 1999 0 0 40 428 8 476 2000 0 2 0 38 438 0 478 2001 0 6 0 + 0 510 0 34 550 2002 0 0 0 + 42 612 0 3 657 2003 5 57 417 n.a. 171 862 608 na 2120

Total 6 0 65 420 0 171 862 158 7604 12 37 9335

Stock status

This species cannot be assessed separately from Portuguese dogfish because most landings and effort data are combined. However, there is evidence of declines in CPUE up to 2001 and there is no evidence that the situation has changed. This species has a more conservative life history, but is probably less vulnerable to the main fisheries in the ICES area, because these exploit only a part of the stock.

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-965

Kitefin shark in the ICES area

There is still a lack of data that can accurately identify any different stocks of kitefin shark in the NE Atlantic. Nonetheless, the species mainly occurs in ICES Subarea X. In the absence of any evidence of stock separation it was considered, in the scope of the DELASS project, that the Azorean stock can be assessed as a discrete stock. Hence, the assessment of the species carried out in the DELASS project was based on the area where a directed has been operating, i.e., the Azores (ICES Subarea X).

Description of fisheries

In Subarea X (Azores) this species is a bycatch in demersal deepwater fisheries. The directed longline fishery has seen marked reduction in catches in recent years. Elsewhere this is a very small bycatch in deepwater fisheries.

Catch data

Catch data for this species are better than for other deepwater sharks. Most data are species-specific, and represent the main fishing Subarea in X. Table 4.11.1.4 presents the working group estimates of landings.

Table 4.11.1.4 Estimate of landings of kitefin shark in all areas. (t) (ICES, 2004)

Vb VI VII IXa X Total

1988 149 549 698 1989 57 560 617 1990 7 602 609 1991 12 896 908 1992 11 761 772 1993 11 591 602 1994 11 309 320 1995 7 321 328 1996 4 216 220 1997 4 30 34 1998 6 34 40 1999 8 6 31 45 2000 277 0 31 308 2001 169 7 13 189 2002 0 5 na 5 2003 25 199 332 3 na 559

Total 25 653 332 300 4944 6254

Stock status

The experimental assessment carried out by DELASS (Heessen, 2003) suggests that the stock has undergone a marked decline in abundance from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. During the 1990s following the gradual cessation of the fishery, the stock appeared to rebuild somewhat. It is likely that the stock is still depleted, relative to 1970s levels.

2-966 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

Rays and skates

Description of fisheries

Rays and skates are taken as target and bycatches in most demersal fisheries in the ICES area, with the exception of the Baltic. There are some directed fisheries, for example, in VIIa, but most ray and skate landings are bycatches in beam and otter trawls and in seine fisheries.

Catch data

Catch data are not separated by species for most countries. The available data are presented in Table 4.11.1.5.

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-967 Table 4.11.1.5 Estimates of rays and skates (t).

Stock status

Experimental assessments were conducted in 2002 (Heessen, 2003; ICES, 2002) for thornback ray in the and cuckoo ray in the Celtic Sea. The thornback ray appears to be heavily depleted in the North Sea. Cuckoo ray in the Celtic Sea appears to have undergone a decline in abundance in the 1990s.

2-968 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

Porbeagle

It is considered that a separate stock of this species resides in the Northeast Atlantic.

Description of fisheries

Porbeagle is taken in directed fisheries in Vb, II and IV. Elsewhere, it is taken as a bycatch in demersal fisheries in VI, VII and VIII. Probably the main fisheries exploiting porbeagle are those targeting and billfish.

Catch data

Data from the countries that catch porbeagle in tuna and billfish fisheries, , , and South Korea are not complete. A minimum working group estimate of porbeagle landings in the ICES area is presented in Table 4.11.1.6.

Table 4.11.1.6 Minimum estimates of landings of porbeagle (t). Data incomplete. (ICES, 2004)

I & II III & IV Va Vb VI VII VIII IX X XII XIV TOTAL

1973 75 260 3 9 2 5 354 1974 13 276 2 1 5 5 302 1975 21 471 4 1 10 507 1976 17 435 4 2 3 14 475 1977 46 251 3 6 306 1978 55 138 9 1 321 2601 3125 1979 35 208 1 25 7 180 905 1361 1980 17 232 1 8 1 210 689 1158 1981 22 262 1 6 1 282 486 1060 1982 6 118 1 10 8 114 85 342 1983 4 81 1 12 1 370 422 891 1984 21 95 1 29 156 259 561 1985 10 179 1 12 1 152 112 467 1986 9 163 1 12 1 137 126 449 1987 6 114 1 33 2 192 76 3 427 1988 63 1 14 2 274 162 3 1 520 1989 2 149 1 14 1 225 129 2 523 1990 2 195 20 2 339 217 2 777 1991 1 191 8 2 140 143 1 1 487 1992 3 409 1 6 16 107 381 + 3 926 1993 9 232 3 63 169 452 1 3 932 1994 4 574 5 40 9 193 617 1 1 1444 1995 6 439 6 36 10 96 465 1 1059 1996 10 171 5 9 1 115 172 7 490 1997 7 170 3 9 1 78 282 49 30 16 1 646 1998 14 165 4 7 + 70 189 354 284 1087 1999 8 133 2 11 1 15 267 723 8 1168 2000 11 87 2 13 51 174 242 1086 376 4 2046 2001 9 91 3 10 120 377 408 464 1 1483 2002 1 + 9 10 2003 6 + + 15 + 21

Total 449 6353 61 396 168 4287 9856 2641 1170 21 2 25404

Stock status

No information.

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-969 Blue shark Prionace glauca

The DELASS project and the ICCAT pelagic shark assessment working group (SCRS, 2004) consider one stock of blue sharks in the north Atlantic. Thus, only part of the stock is distributed in the ICES area.

Description of fisheries

This species is mainly taken as a bycatch in tuna and billfish fisheries using lines and in previous years, gillnets. This species is usually discarded though some are marketed. In many cases, fins have been retained but carcasses discarded. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Portugal, and the USA are the main countries having tuna and billfish fisheries taking blue shark.

Catch data

Catch data for blue shark are very poor. Landings, effort and discards data as presented to ICCAT are incomplete. In 2004, ICCAT estimated catch data and these are presented in Figure 4.11.1.2 (SCRS, 2004).

Figure 4.11.1.2 Estimates of blue shark catches in the north Atlantic.

Stock status

ICCAT performed a stock assessment for the north Atlantic stock of blue shark in 2004. The state of the stock is considered uncertain, mainly because of lack of better catch statistics. Until better statistics are available, ICCAT reports that it will be difficult to provide better evaluations of stock status.

2-970 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

Shortfin mako

The ICCAT pelagic shark assessment working group (SCRS, 2004) considers one stock of blue sharks in the north Atlantic. Thus, only part of the stock is distributed in the ICES area.

Description of fisheries

This species is mainly taken as a bycatch in tuna and billfish fisheries using lines and in previous years, gillnets. This species is usually discarded though some are marketed. In many cases, fins have been retained but carcasses discarded. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Portugal, and the USA are the main countries having tuna and billfish fisheries taking blue shark.

Catch data

Catch data for blue shark are very poor. Landings, effort and discards data as presented to ICCAT are incomplete. In 2004, ICCAT estimated catch data and these are presented in Figure 4.11.1.3 (SCRS, 2004).

Figure 4.11.1.3 Estimates of catches in the north Atlantic.

Stock status

ICCAT performed a stock assessment for the north Atlantic stock of mako shark in 2004. The state of the stock is considered uncertain, mainly because of lack of better catch statistics. Until better statistics are available, ICCAT reports that it will be difficult to provide better evaluations of stock status.

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-971

Basking shark

Description of fisheries

There have been directed fisheries for this species by , the UK, and . The last directed fishery was that of Norway, and was prosecuted in II, IV, VI and VII. This fishery is now at a low level of activity.

Catch data

Catch data are presented in Table 4.11.1.7. It is clear that catches have declined considerably from a peak of about 18 000 t in the early 1970s to less than 500 t in recent years.

Stock status

No information.

Table 4.11.17 Estimates of landings of basking sharks (t) (ICES, 2004)

I & II III & IV Vb VI VII VIII IX X TOTAL

1973 9350 750 800 10900 1974 7990 1000 1750 10740 1975 13880 2220 2250 18350 1976 7510 7510 1977 7932 7932 1978 7217 30 600 7847 1979 11035 300 7 11342 1980 7850 178 8028 1981 3820 60 3880 1982 4246 400 4646 1983 2082 1582 130 3794 1984 1881 2560 1 4442 1985 3156 3156 1986 2465 2465 1987 352 352 1988 13 215 228 1989 1278 1278 1990 1683 249 1932 1991 1148 475 1623 1992 3477 181 3658 1993 2910 2910 1994 1505 257 1762 1995 105 4 109 1996 1979 1 1980 1997 1054 106 1 1 1162 1998 137 137 1999 77 77 2000 293 293 2001 1 1 2002 + + 2003 135 1 136

2-972 ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report

References

Bailly, N., Eschmeyer, W.N., Froese, R., Quéro, J-C, van der Land, J., Costello, M.J., Zavodnik, D., Santos, R.S. and Porteiro, F.M. 2001. xx Heessen, H.J.L. 2003. Report of the DELASS Project, Development of Elasmobranch Assessments. DG Fish Study Contract 99/055. ICES, 2002. Report of the Study Group on Elasmobranch Fishes. ICES CM 2002/G:08. 123 pp. ICES, 2003. Report of the Working Group on Elasmobranch Fishes. ICES CM 2003/G:09. 151 pp. ICES, 2004. Report on the Working Group on Elasmobranch Fishes (WGEF). ICES CM 2004/G:11. 110 pp SCRS, 2004. Report of the 2004 inter-sessional meeting of the ICCAT Sub-Committee on Bycatches: shark stock assessment. Madrid: ICCAT SCRS 2004/014.

ICES Advice 2004, ACFM/ACE Report 2-973