Uruguayan research program for pelagic sharks in the southwest Atlantic Ocean

Uruguayan longliners operating in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean targeting swordfish and tunas also regularly capture elasmobranch fishes as bycatch. Among them, the blue shark (Prionace glauca) and the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) constitute the two main shark species captured, but several other species are also occasionally captured. DINARA (Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos), is the Uruguayan governmental entity responsible for the monitoring and management of fisheries and harvesting of aquatic resources. DINARA is also responsible for the National Observer Program on board fishing vessels (PNOFA), and of fishery independent surveys carried on board the R/V Aldebarán. Both the observer program and research cruises represent opportunities for the collection of a wide variety of biological samples that are of ultimate importance to the work of the SCRS, particularly the sharks working group. Throughout this document we present the current Uruguayan pelagic sharks Research Program for the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, and provide details regarding the collection of shark samples for the near future as per ICCAT Recommendation 13-10.