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Shark conservation and management policy: a review and primer for non‐specialists
Author(s) -
Shiffman D. S.,
Hammerschlag N.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
animal conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.111
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1469-1795
pISSN - 1367-9430
DOI - 10.1111/acv.12265
Subject(s) - fisheries management , nature conservation , business , work (physics) , environmental resource management , environmental planning , fisheries law , marine conservation , fishery , public policy , fishing , political science , geography , ecology , economics , biology , engineering , mechanical engineering , law
There is increasing concern for the conservation of sharks among scientists, environmental conservation advocates, and the interested public, but misunderstanding among policy non‐specialists about which conservation and management policies are available, and which might work best for certain situations, persists. Here we present a review of fisheries management and conservation literature relating to sharks. Policies are broadly divided into target‐based policies that aim for sustainable fisheries exploitation (e.g. fisheries quotas) and limit‐based policies that aim to prevent all fisheries exploitation of entire taxa (e.g. marine reserves). A list of the pros and cons of each policy is included, as is a decision tree to aid in selection of the most appropriate policy. Our goal is that this paper will allow policy non‐specialists, including scientists without policy training, environmental activists, and concerned citizens, to make informed decisions when advocating for shark conservation.