American Elasmobranch Society

American Elasmobranch Society
Name	American Elasmobranch Society
Founded	1983
Type	Scientific society
Purpose	Research and conservation of sharks, rays, skates
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International

American Elasmobranch Society

The American Elasmobranch Society is a professional organization dedicated to the scientific study and conservation of elasmobranchs, including Great white, Tiger shark, Manta ray, Stingray, and Skates, founded in 1983 by researchers affiliated with institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Florida State University, University of Miami, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Society interfaces with agencies and organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA Fisheries to advance knowledge on taxa including Carcharodon carcharias, Rhincodon typus, Mobula tarapacana, Dasyatis pastinaca, and Raja radiata. It convenes researchers who study elasmobranchs using methods developed at centers such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, and Australian Institute of Marine Science.

History

The Society was established in 1983 following meetings among marine biologists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Vanderbilt University, University of Florida, Duke University Marine Lab, Texas A&M University and independent researchers influenced by conferences like the International Congress on the Biology of Fishes and initiatives from the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Early membership included notable investigators from Stanford University, University of California, San Diego, Cornell University, Harvard University, and Yale University who focused on systematics, life history, and fisheries interactions involving taxa such as Carcharhinus limbatus, Galeocerdo cuvier, Pristis pectinata, Sphyrna lewini, and Stegostoma fasciatum. Over subsequent decades the Society expanded collaborations with international bodies including the European Elasmobranch Association, IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Food and Agriculture Organization, and regional programs at Cape Town University, James Cook University, University of Auckland, and University of Tokyo.

Mission and Objectives

The Society's mission emphasizes rigorous research, informed conservation, and evidence-based management of elasmobranchs, aligning with priorities of IUCN, CITES, Convention on Biological Diversity, NOAA, and National Science Foundation programs. Objectives include promoting studies on population dynamics exemplified in work on Scalloped hammerhead, Blacktip reef shark, Whale shark, Blue shark, and Bull shark; fostering policy-relevant science used by United States Congress, European Commission, Australian Government agencies, and regional fisheries management organizations; and supporting education at institutions like University of California, Berkeley, Duke University, University of Miami, and University of Washington.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises researchers, students, managers, and educators from institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, and Australian Museum. The Society is governed by an elected board with officers hailing from universities like Florida State University, University of South Florida, University of Queensland, and University of British Columbia, and it maintains committees that coordinate with groups such as the Shark Trust, Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and regional research networks at South African National Biodiversity Institute and Instituto Oceanográfico.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual meetings rotate among host institutions and cities with prior venues including New Orleans, San Diego, Woods Hole, Miami, Vancouver, Sydney, and Cape Town, and have been colocated with events like the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology symposium and sessions at the American Fisheries Society annual meeting. Program topics mirror advances from laboratories at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, James Cook University, and University of California, Santa Cruz covering telemetry studies, genetics from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory-informed methods, and tagging programs coordinated with National Marine Fisheries Service and NOAA Fisheries.

Research and Conservation Initiatives

The Society supports research on ecology, behavior, physiology, and population genetics with projects aligned to work on Rhincodon typus, Carcharhinus obscurus, Sphyrna mokarran, Mobula alfredi, and Prionace glauca, leveraging methods from Smithsonian Institution collections, genomic approaches used at Broad Institute, and telemetry technologies developed at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Conservation initiatives include data-sharing efforts that inform listings under CITES and assessments by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, collaborative bycatch reduction trials with NOAA Fisheries and Food and Agriculture Organization, and habitat protection advocacy reflecting studies around Galápagos Islands, Great Barrier Reef, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and Eastern Tropical Pacific.

Awards and Recognition

The Society recognizes contributions through awards named for prominent figures drawn from institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Miami, Duke University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, honoring excellence in research, outreach, and student achievement; past awardees have affiliations with Stanford University, University of California, Davis, James Cook University, University of Florida, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. Awards inform career advancement considered by hiring committees at University of California, San Diego, University of Washington, University of Queensland, and funding panels at the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

Publications and Outreach

The Society promotes dissemination via member presentations, special journal issues in titles like Copeia, Journal of Fish Biology, Marine Biology, Conservation Biology, and collaborations with publishers such as Elsevier and Springer Nature, and supports educational outreach with partners like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, New England Aquarium, and Florida Museum of Natural History. Public engagement includes training workshops held at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, citizen science programs associated with Galapagos Conservancy, and policy briefings provided to bodies including NOAA, Congressional Research Service, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Category:Scientific societies Category:Marine biology organizations