The American Elasmobranch Society

The 2006 AES International Captive Elasmobranch Census

Thank you for your participation in this year's International Captive Elasmobranch Census. This year's Census details elasmobranch collections from 64 institutions located within the United States and its territories and 48 international institutions. All information contained within the Census was provided on a voluntary basis and is managed by the American Elasmobranch Society's Captive Elasmobranch Census Committee Chairman.

Each Census participant will receive a copy of the master participation list that provides contact information for all participants. Participants will not receive a copy of the Census. The Census can be downloaded from the American Elasmobranch Society website.

The Census is organized by elasmobranch species. Institutions holding those species are listed by institutional participation number below each species heading. International facilities are identified in the Census by an "I" before their institutional participation number on the Census.

Download the census here (excel file)

Census Breakdown: (9589 individuals / 191 species)

SHARKS
Number shark species listed: 86 (5257 individuals)
Male individuals: 1272 Female individuals: 1736 Unknown individuals: 2250
Most numerous species:
Chiloscyllium plagiosum (726 individuals held at 36 institutions)
Most commonly held species:
Ginglymostoma cirratum (48 institutions hold a total of 260 individuals)

RAYS AND SKATES
Number ray and skate species listed: 103 (4285 individuals)
Male individuals: 1378 Female individuals: 1679 Unknown individuals: 1228
Most numerous species:
Rhinoptera bonasus (1007 individuals held at 36 institutions)
Most commonly held species:
Potamotrygon motoro (47 institutions hold a total of 249 individuals)

CHIMAERAS
Number chimaera species listed: 2 (47 individuals)
Male individuals: 23 Female individuals: 18 Unknown individuals: 6
Most numerous species:
Hydrolagus colliei (46 individuals held at 11 institutions)
Most commonly held species:
Hydrolagus colliei (11 institutions hold a total of 46 individuals)

The following regional coordinators and sponsoring institutions assisted in the compilation of the information in the Census:

COORDINATOR	REGION
Kathy Vires Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha, Nebraska	Central USA
Alan Henningsen National Aquarium in Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland	Northeast USA
Jennifer Dancico Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	South USA
Bob Snowden The Aquarium at Moody Gardens Galveston, Texas	West USA
Becky Ellsworth Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Columbus, Ohio	Midwest USA
Andy Dehart National Aquarium Washington DC	Northern Europe Africa
Manoel M.B. Gonzalez NUPEC Sao Paulo, Brasil	South and Central America
Donna McLaughlin Hofstra University Long Island, NY	Canada and Caribbean
Joao P Correia Oceanario de Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal	Portugal Spain
Graham Hill The Deep East Yorkshire, United Kingdom	United Kingdom Australia
Lorenzo Senes Acquario di Genova Genova, Italy	Italy
David Lai OceanPark Corporation Aberdeen, Hong Kong	Asia

I would like to thank each regional coordinator and their sponsoring institution for their support, time, and enthusiasm. I would like to thank the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center for supporting my work on this project.

Beth Firchau
AES Captive Elasmobranch Census Committee Chair
Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center