An Annotated Checklist and the Conservation Status of Chondrichthyans in the Adriatic

Abstract

Although there is a high number of publications listing fish species in the Adriatic, only a few have focused on chondrichthyans, while their conservation status has been investigated even less. Thus, this paper aims to provide an updated and annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans occurring in the Adriatic waters with their presence and conservation status. Each species is evaluated against the criteria defined in IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List Categories and Criteria and according to the guidelines for national and regional level assessments. In total, 60 chondrichthyan species from 27 families and 42 genera are listed. The list contains 33 species of sharks, 26 species of rays and one chimera. Assessment of the conservation status reveals that three species are now considered Regionally Extinct (namely Squatina oculata, Pristis pectinata and Rhinobatos rhinobatos). A total of 21 species are assessed as Critically Endangered, 8 are Endangered and 10 are Vulnerable. Of the remaining species, six are Near Threatened and the same number of species are Least Concern and Data Deficient. Considering that the principal driver of chondrichthyan decline and regional extinction is overfishing, it is recommended that the Adriatic countries adopt the same management measures and strengthen their coordination.