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DUSKY SHARK
R E S O L U T I O N
June 1998
Whereas the dusky shark, Carcharhinus
obscurus, was once an abundant large coastal shark along the Atlantic coast of the
U.S., and,
Whereas the dusky shark has been reduced in abundance due to overfishing
and is now uncommon in many parts of its range, and
Whereas some scientific assessments suggest the Atlantic coast population
has declined by 80%, and
Whereas the dusky shark has the slowest growth rate, the latest age of
maturity, and one of the lowest fecundity rates among all large coastal sharks, and
Whereas the dusky shark continues to be harvested by directed shark
fisheries, and
Whereas there was a strong consensus and recommendation from scientific
shark experts charged with evaluating life history vulnerability at the recent National
Marine Fisheries Service Shark Evaluation Workshop in June, 1998, in Panama City, Florida
to add dusky sharks to the prohibited species list under the FMP,
Therefore, be it resolved that the American Elasmobranch Society strongly
urges the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Highly Migratory Species to add
dusky sharks to the list of species prohibited under the Fishery Management Plan for
Atlantic sharks.
Adopted June, 1998.
SMALLTOOTH &
LARGETOOTH SAWFISH
R E S O L U T I O N
June 1998
Whereas the smalltooth
sawfish, Pristis pectinata, and the largetooth sawfish, Pristis perotteti, were
once widespread and common members of coastal and estuarine ecosystems along the Atlantic
and Gulf coasts of the US, and
Whereas these sawfishes are extremely vulnerable to excess mortality
because they are slow-growing, late-maturing, and have low fecundity rates, and
Whereas these sawfishes occupy estuarine habitats that have undergone
extensive destruction along the southeastern United States, and
Whereas populations of these species have been severely reduced so that
they are rare or absent from their former range, and
Whereas the perilous condition of sawfish populations world-wide prompted
the United States to support a resolution before the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) to list sawfishes under Appendix I (restriction of all trade),
and
Whereas the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) formerly listed these
species on the Candidate List of Protected Species, and
Whereas the NMFS removed these species from the List with no
justification,
Therefore, be it resolved that the American Elasmobranch Society strongly
urges the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources to restore these
sawfishes to the Candidate List, and further urges that the NMFS undertake a review of the
status of these species relative to their inclusion on the US Endangered Species List.
Adopted June, 1998.
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