Elasmobranchs are vital and valuable components of the
marine biota. From an ecological perspective they occupy
the role of top predators within marine food webs, providing
a regulatory control that helps balance the ecosystem.
From an evolutionary perspective, this group represents an
early divergence along the vertebrate line that produced
many unusual, but highly successful, adaptations in function
and form.
From man's perspective, elasmobranchs have been considered
both an unavoidable nuisance, and an exploitable fishery resource. A few of the large shark species have earned a dubious notoriety because of sporadic attacks on humans that occur in coastal areas each year worldwide; the
hysteria surrounding an encounter with a shark can be
costly to the tourist industry. More importantly, elasmobranchs are often considered a detriment to commercial
fishing operations; they cause significant economic damage
to catches and fishing gear. On the other hand, consumer
attitudes have changed concerning many previously
unpopular food fishes, including elasmobranchs, and this
group of fishes has been increasingly used by both recreational and commercial fishing interests. Many elasmobranchs have become a popular target of recreational fishermen for food and sport because of their abundance, size, and availability in coastal waters. Similarly, commercial fisheries for elasmobranchs have developed or expanded from an increased demand for elasmobranch food products. (PDF file contains 108 pages.
