Occurrence of rare and endangered elasmobranchs in by-catch of Montenegrin fisheries (South-Eastern Adriatic Sea)

Elasmobranchs are among the most endangered marine species nowadays and many of them are threatened with extinction. The Adriatic Sea represents the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea and is an ecosystem affected with centuries-long exploitation of marine resources. The data presented here date from the period from June 2015 to September 2020 and describes occurrences of elasmobranchs, considered to be either rare or endangered by the Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF) manual of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM). The data were obtained primarily from the commercial fishing fleet of Montenegro, with some provided by recreational fishermen, and located in the South-Eastern Adriatic Sea (GSA 18). The data were gathered from official DCRF data, scientific surveys and citizen science. Nine species listed as either rare or endangered in the DCRF Manual were found to be present in catches, among which the blue shark Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) was the most frequently encountered species. There were also occurrences of 5 more shark species and 3 batoids. The greatest numbers of records were observed in pelagic longline fishery and recreational big game fishing.