Shark News

Welcome to the quarterly issue of Shark News – the official IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group (SSG) magazine. Shark News provides a forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of shark, ray, and chimaera conservation matters for SSG members and the general interested audience.

2021
Content:
4 Editorial: A note from the Chair 
5 Q&A with Lee Crockett 
9 The Hunt for a Pygmy Devil 
13 In Memory of Professor Carolus Maria Vooren 
15 The Convention on Migratory Species and Sharks
20 Shark Spotlight: The Quagga Catshark 
21 Angel Sharks: A growing network to safeguard the future of these Critically Endangered Sharks
36 Huber Arte Marhina
39 Sand Tiger Shark: Southwest Atlantic Conservation Planning Workshop 
42 Assessing River Jewels
44 Studying Silky Sharks in the Western Atlantic 
46 Shark catches in Albania
48 Gillnets of large mesh sizes: a threat to sharks and rays 
50 3D printed replica shark fins 
52 Are we too late for the Sawfishes of Sri Lanka? 
55 The first record of a juvenile Megamouth Shark 
59 Shark fin consumption in Hong Kong 
63 3rd Indonesian Shark and Ray Symposium
65 Marine Historical Ecology Working Group 
66 The use of Shark Liver Oil 
68 IUCN Red List Sawfishes reassessments 
69 Crash Course in the Human Dimensions of Shark Conservation
70 Shark Biology and Conservation
75 Sharks of the World
79 Funding Opportunities
80 Upcoming Meetings​
Content:
4 Editorial: A note from the Chair
5 Q&A | Meet the SSG’s new Chair: Rima Jabado
9 The Co-Chairs’ view of a decade of shark conservation
12 Thank you note to all Regional Vice-Chairs stepping down
15 A welcome note to all the new Regional Vice-Chairs
18 Regional Vice-Chairs 2021-2024
19 Working Groups
24 John ‘Jack’ A. Musick
28 Curious about what shark species occur in South Africa?
30 Putting a face to a name
32 Founding MISS
36 Recently published
38 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Sharks
40 Shark Spotlight: The Bareback Guitarfish
41 Safe havens for sawfishes
56 Research for conservation and management
58 Pakistan – sawfish status and update
60 Report on the meeting of the Working Group on Recreational Fishing
61 Update from the IUCN SSG Africa Region
63 Contribution of the Russian SSG team
65 Upcoming meetings 2021
66 Funding opportunities
We would like to invite the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) members to submit written contributions.

​Please contact the Communications Team.
Deadline for submission of contributions for the October 2021 issue is August 15, 2021!
Shark News was the official IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) newsletter from June 1994 to October 2004. In 2021, we revived this magazine to provide a forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of shark, ray, and chimaera conservation matters for SSG members and the general interested audience. For now, only SSG members are invited to contribute content to the newsletter; however, it will be available to non-members.

We want to publish articles:
  • dealing with shark, ray, and chimaera fisheries, conservation, and population status issues around the world;
  • circulate information on other relevant publications, scientific papers, policy or trade updates, and 'hot topics';
  • alert our readers to current threats to sharks, rays, and chimaeras; 
  • and, provide news of upcoming relevant meetings, conferences, and events.

We will not publish original scientific data but aim to complement scientific journals. Published material will represent the authors' opinions only, not those of the IUCN or the Shark Specialist Group.

Dates: Publication dates are dependent upon available resources and receiving sufficient material for publication; hopefully, four issues per annum in January, April, July, and October.

Contributions: Manuscripts should preferably be written in English. Please send your manuscript and complementary documents to the Communications Team at the latest one month before the above-mentioned publication dates. If you would like to share your article in another language, please contact the Communications Team, and we will arrange a translation.

Media: Photographs, tables and figures must include captions, be in vector format, or uncompressed JPEG or TIFF format with a resolution of 2'000 pixels at least, but preferably higher in their original size.

Type and length of features (word counts include titles and references):
  1. Feature articles should be 2,000–3,000 words and may include several high-quality photographs and illustrations. 
  2. Lead articles, with two good size photographs and illustrations, should be no more than 1,300–1,500 words.
  3. A full-page (2 column) article with good-sized illustration(s) and image(s) should be 700-900 words.
  4. A half-page article should be 450–550 words (370–420 words leaves some space for one illustration or photograph).
  5. Short news communications and letters are also welcome.

Writing style: This newsletter goes to members of the general public, managers and policy-makers, and chondrichthyan specialists, fisheries scientists and the conservation community. We need a clear and brief style of writing that is easy to understand. It is also essential to break up the text with sufficient sub-headings and provide one or two photographs or graphics. There is room for small tables, but nothing too long and complicated. 
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Credits: Author's name, affiliation and address must be provided, with their email address and social network links (e.g., webpage, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Please provide credits for all submitted photographs or illustrations with the manuscript.