Proceedings of the First Pacific Shark Workshop

Goal
The Pacific Shark Workshop was intended to bring together relevant stakeholders, including several sections of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), key fishermen and fisheries representatives from relevant gear sectors, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), academics and shark specialists from the US and Mexico, to discuss the most pressing issues for sharks in Pacific Canada within three overarching categories: science, policy/management and on-the-water practice.
The specific goal of the workshop was to produce a top-ten list of issues, gaps, and/or questions within these categories as well as a cross-cutting list of priorities which would advance the conservation and management of shark species in Pacific Canadian waters. As well, participants identified a number of “next steps” which, it is hoped, will lead to further collaborative initiatives.
As discussions at the workshop proceeded it was clear that the issues, gaps and priorities identified for sharks applied equally to skates, rays and chimaeras, therefore the priorities and next steps apply to all Elasmobranchs, and are presented as such.