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Fishes
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Biology and Conservation of Elasmobranchs
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Biology and Conservation of Elasmobranchs

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 5236

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María-Del-Pilar Blanco-Parra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
División de Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo, Quintana Roo, Chetumal, Mexico
Interests: shark and ray fisheries; ecology; biology and conservation
Prof. Dr. Carlos J. Polo-Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sharky Management and Consulting, Oldsmar, FL, USA
Interests: shark and ray conservation; trophic ecology; population dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sharks and rays play a key role in many ecological processes in aquatic ecosystems, being predators and mesopredators—they influence the health of ecosystems by regulating other populations. Therefore, understanding the relationships that sharks and rays have with other species in aquatic ecosystems is crucial for preserving the ecological equilibrium and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to compile up-to-date and outstanding research on shark and ray ecology and conservation and to gather the most recent and relevant data on their ecology and conservation to improve management measures and conservation strategies.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Distribution and abundance of sharks and rays;
  • Trophic relationships;
  • Climate change effects in shark and ray populations;
  • Population dynamics.

Dr. María-Del-Pilar Blanco-Parra
Prof. Dr. Carlos J. Polo-Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sharks
  • rays
  • ecological role
  • movements
  • distribution
  • ecological niche
  • conservation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2989 KB  
Article
Reproductive Biology of the Speckled Smooth-Hound Shark Mustelus mento (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) from the Southeastern Pacific
by Krishna Tapia, Angel Mancilla, Leandro Brizuela, Carolina Vargas-Caro and Carlos Bustamante
Fishes 2026, 11(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11010028 - 3 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1531
Abstract
The speckled smooth-hound Mustelus mento is an endemic coastal shark from the southeastern Pacific, currently listed as “Critically Endangered” due to intense fishing pressure and the absence of species-specific management across its distribution range. Between November 2021 and October 2023, 925 individuals were [...] Read more.
The speckled smooth-hound Mustelus mento is an endemic coastal shark from the southeastern Pacific, currently listed as “Critically Endangered” due to intense fishing pressure and the absence of species-specific management across its distribution range. Between November 2021 and October 2023, 925 individuals were examined from artisanal landings in northern Chile to describe their reproductive biology and embryonic development characteristics. The total length ranged from 27.6–159.3 cm in females and 14.2–165.0 cm in males, with a sex ratio of 1:1.2, which was slightly biased towards females. The estimated size at 50% maturity was 53.6 cm for females and 48.7 cm for males, with 70.6% of females and 66.0% of males caught below these thresholds, indicating a predominance of immature individuals in landings. Nine gravid females (106–139 cm) contained 71 embryos, which were classified into five developmental stages (encapsulated ovum, early organogenesis, fin differentiation, pigmentation and growth, and pre-partum) based on their external morphology and yolk sac reduction. The litter size ranged from 4 to 12 embryos, and the estimated size at birth was 13–14 cm in length. Embryos were recorded only during the summer months, suggesting a seasonal reproductive cycle with parturition in the early autumn. The persistent yolk sac connection throughout development and the absence of placental structures confirm that M. mento exhibits aplacental viviparity. These results document the first population-level description of the reproductive biology of M. mento, redefine its reproductive mode, and provide baseline information essential for implementing species-specific management and conservation measures in Chilean waters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Conservation of Elasmobranchs)
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17 pages, 1378 KB  
Article
Extremely Low Sample Size Allows Age and Growth Estimation in a Rare and Threatened Shark
by Peter M. Kyne, Jonathan J. Smart and Grant J. Johnson
Fishes 2026, 11(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11010007 - 24 Dec 2025
Viewed by 878
Abstract
Understanding life history parameters is key to assessing demography, biological productivity, and extinction risk of fishes. Age and growth analyses in chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and ghost sharks) is primarily undertaken through counting vertebral band pairs. For rare, threatened, and protected species such [...] Read more.
Understanding life history parameters is key to assessing demography, biological productivity, and extinction risk of fishes. Age and growth analyses in chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and ghost sharks) is primarily undertaken through counting vertebral band pairs. For rare, threatened, and protected species such as river sharks (Carcharhinidae; Glyphis), obtaining sufficient vertebrae samples may not be possible. Here we use a very small sample size, selective size-class sampling, back-calculation techniques, and a Bayesian hierarchical model that accounts for repeated measures to provide age and growth information for the Speartooth Shark Glyphis glyphis from which comprehensive sampling is not possible. Ten individuals were selectively sampled from the Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia. Bayesian length-at-age models using a combination of informative and uninformative priors in a multi-model framework were applied to the observed and back-calculated data with the sexes combined. Band pair counts produced age estimates of 0–11 years and suggest that age at maturity is possibly >12 years. Most model parameter estimates for length-at-birth (L0) and asymptotic length (L∞) were biologically plausible. The Gompertz growth function, applied through a Bayesian hierarchical approach to back-calculated data, provided the best fitting and most biologically appropriate length-at-age parameters: L∞ = 229.5 cm TL ± (14.6 SE), gGom = 0.16 yr−1 ± (0.01 SE), and L0 = 58.2 cm TL ± (1.4 SE). The results presented here are the first study to apply Bayesian methods to back-calculated length-at-age data while accounting for repeated measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Conservation of Elasmobranchs)
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23 pages, 3021 KB  
Article
A Long-Term Overview of Elasmobranch Fisheries in an Oceanic Archipelago: A Case Study of the Madeira Archipelago
by Mafalda Freitas, Filipa Pinho-Duarte, Madalena Gaspar, Pedro Ideia, João Delgado, Sara C. Cerqueira and Ricardo Sousa
Fishes 2025, 10(7), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10070358 - 19 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1865
Abstract
Elasmobranch species are considered a global conservation priority due to their susceptibility to fishing pressure. In the Madeira Archipelago, Northeastern Atlantic, most elasmobranch species are caught as bycatch in artisanal drifting longline fishery targeting scabbardfishes. All commercial elasmobranch landings carried out in this [...] Read more.
Elasmobranch species are considered a global conservation priority due to their susceptibility to fishing pressure. In the Madeira Archipelago, Northeastern Atlantic, most elasmobranch species are caught as bycatch in artisanal drifting longline fishery targeting scabbardfishes. All commercial elasmobranch landings carried out in this archipelago over three decades (1990–2020) were analysed, aiming to provide a reliable overview of Madeira’s elasmobranch fisheries and their evolution. A total of 2316 tonnes of elasmobranchs were landed during the study period, corresponding to approximately EUR 2.1 million in first-sale value. The most representative period occurred from 2003 to 2013, corresponding to 75.21% of the total elasmobranch landings. A general pattern of supply and demand was evident, with mean price values typically showing an inverse trend to landed tonnage. At the species level, Centrophorus squamosus appears as the dominant species, representing about 89% of the total elasmobranch species landed, followed by Prionace glauca, with approximately 3%. The high dominance of C. squamosus in the scabbardfish fishery raises significant ecological and management concerns, as this deep-water shark species is known for its vulnerability to overexploitation. Management measures currently in place need to be updated and ought to be based on studies on the type and size of hooks for each fishery, to ultimately infer about species-specific survival rates, as well as the fishing gears’ soak time. Moreover, studies on the enhancement of food supply through fisheries discards are still missing, even though it is highly likely that this input may alter the dynamics of marine food webs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Conservation of Elasmobranchs)
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