Distribution of skates and sharks in the North Sea: 112 years of change.

摘要: How have North Sea skate and shark assemblages changed since the early 20th century when bottom trawling became widespread, whilst their environment increasingly impacted by fishing, climate change, habitat degradation other anthropogenic pressures? This article examines long-term changes in distribution occurrence of elasmobranch assemblage southern Sea, based on extensive historical time series (1902–2013) fishery-independent survey data. In general, larger species (thornback ray, tope, spurdog) exhibited declines, largest (common complex) locally extirpated (as did angelshark). Smaller increased (spotted starry lesser-spotted dogfish) as smooth-hound, likely benefiting from greater resilience to fishing and/or change. indicates a fundamental shift dominance larger, commercially valuable current prevalence smaller, more productive often low commercial value. recent years, however, some trends reversed, with (cold-water associated) ray now declining thornback increasing. may be attributed (i) including mechanised beam introduced 1960s–1970s, target fisheries for elasmobranchs; (ii) currently favouring warm-water above cold-water species; (iii) loss, potential coastal outer estuarine nursery habitats. The same pressures, here documented elasmobranchs over past century, are likewise impacting shelf seas worldwide increase future; therefore, parallel communities regions expected.