Data Collection, Research, and Assessment Efforts for Pelagic Sharks by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), a regional fishery management organization, is the primary repository of fisheries data for tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean. Since the mid-1990s, ICCAT has been collecting shark fishery statistics, including catch and effort data, as well as information from tagging and biological studies of pelagic sharks. The catch data, particularly before the 1990s, are incomplete, and often do not separate sharks by species. Nevertheless, in 2004, the ICCAT bycatch subcommittee conducted an assessment of the status of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the Atlantic. The assessment indicated that blue sharks appear to be well above the biomass that would sustain maximum sustainable yield (BMSY) in both the North and South Atlantic. Shortfin mako sharks have declined in both regions, and may be below BMSY in the North Atlantic. Because of the limitations in the catch data, the subcommittee considered the assessment to be provisional.