In the Russian Federation, there is currently almost no targeted scientific research of cartilaginous fish, which is due to a number of reasons. First, the fauna of cartilaginous fish in the waters of Russia is quite poor, since most of its seas are located in temperate and cold waters, which are characterized by a low species diversity of the considered group of fish. Secondly, there is no specialized fishing of cartilaginous fish in Russia, which are caught as by-catch in trawl, net and longline fisheries. In the domestic market, products made from shark and ray meat are in very low demand, so most of them are sold in Asian fish markets.
However, studies of cartilaginous fish in Russia are carried out, as this is required to justify the volume of total allowable catches, with the help of which the regulation of fishing (by-catch) of sharks and rays is carried out. The collection, synthesis and analysis of the obtained commercial and biological information are carried out on a regular basis, but only a few enthusiasts are engaged in publishing the results in scientific journals as a hobby.
Currently, Russia is represented in the SSG by three specialists (one permanent member and two who have been involved in the preparation of IUCN Red List assessments).
In general, over the past decade, the main research of the Russian team has focused on the following areas:
List of publications of the Russian SSG team
Publications in peer-reviewed journals:
IUCN Red List Assessments: