REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON ELASMOBRANCH FISHES

The Terms of Reference for the Study Group on Elasmobranch Fishes [SGEF Chair: Dr Mike Pawson, CEFAS,England] as agreed by ACFM in October 2001 are that it will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 6-10 May 2002 to:a) Carry out preliminary assessments of the nine case study species (blue shark in the North Atlantic; Portuguesedogfish, black-mouthed dogfish, kitefin shark and spurdog in the NE Atlantic; cuckoo ray in VIIf,g,h & VIIIa,b;thornback ray in IV; lesser spotted dogfish in VIIIc) in conjunction with the EU-funded project DELASS, andevaluate the adequacy of these assessments for providing advice on stock status in relation to biological referencepoints;b) report on the development and progress in the study and assessment of elasmobranch fisheries and stocks;c) report on progress with plans for the NAFO Scientific Council Special Session, the Symposium on "Elasmobranch Fisheries: managing for sustainable use and biodiversity conservation " (ICES is a co-sponsor), tobe held during 11-13 September 2002; andd) report on progress in preparing for a joint ICCAT/ICES workshop on assessment of pelagic sharks in the NorthAtlantic in June-July 2002;