Résumé
The scope of the European Union Plan of Action for Sharks covers directed commercial, by-catch commercial, directed recreational, and by-catch recreational fishing of any chondrichthyans within European Union waters. It also includes any fisheries covered by current and potential agreements and partnerships between the European Union and third countries, as well as fisheries in the high seas and fisheries covered by RFMOs managing or issuing non-binding recommendations outside European Union waters. Scientific advice for the purpose of the management of shark species in the high seas is carried out mainly via the Scientific Committees of the relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO), as well as through specific projects by national institutes, and other research organisms. However, the level of knowledge concerning many shark populations in the high seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans is far from satisfactory. It is therefore necessary to identify gaps in the current knowledge of fisheries, biology and ecology of sharks that should be filled in order to support advice on sustainable management of elasmobranches' fisheries and undertaking studies to fill those gaps. Therefore, the objective of this project is to obtain scientific advice for the purpose of implementing the EUPOA on sharks as regards the facilitation of monitoring fisheries and shark stock assessment on a species-specific level in the high seas.