Report of the Study Group on Elasmobranch Fishes (by correspondence)

The Study Group on Elasmobranch Fishes (Chairman: Dr. P. Walker, Netherlands) will werk by correspondence in1998 to:a) prepare areport in 1998, outlining the progress made in recent initiatives in elasmobranch research, which willinclude the following:i) an outline of the work done by the Study Group on the Assessment of Other Species And Shellfish (SGASSO),in exploring methods of evaluating the status of e1asmobranch stocks,ii) a summary of scientific work by lCES member countries on the biology and status of spurdog/spiny dogfish(Squalus aCGnthias) stocks,iii) an outline of initiatives taken by international organisations, e.g. ICCAT and FAO, to evaluate the stock statusof particular (mostly targeted) species,iv) a summary of the existing USA and proposed Canadian Shark Management Plans,v) an outline of initiatives taken in the USA and Europe (through the EEA (European Elasmobranch Association))relative to shark tagging programmes;b) compile the available information on the species-specific catch data, distribution, abundance and biology of the NEand NW Atlantic spurdoglspiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) stocks in order to review and evaluate the geographicaldistribution, life history patterns and compensatory mechanisms exhibited by the species, using the outcome of theSGASSO as a theoretical framework;c) provide cleaT guidelines and terms of reference in relation to ICES' need for information on elasmobranch stocksand identify the actions ICES needs to take;d) identify the foundations for the establishment of an Elasmobranch Working Group, in which ICES co-operates withother scientific and management bodies.e) plan a meeting in 1999.