Shark Research: Present Status and Future Direction.

The sharsk are part of the major group of non-bony fishes known as elasmobranchs which include the skates and rays. The sharks are primarily carnivores and many of the larger species apparently are the top predators in their environment. This role is not widely appreciated and not well understood. In fact, the exact position and role of most of the species of sharks in the marine ecosystem is poorly known despite the large size and spectacularity of most kinds of sharks. The main areas of shark research discussed at the Monterey Conference included those which, in the past, had been judged to be of most interest to the U.S. Navy. These research areas have a more direct bearing on the capabilities of sharks to act as predators on humans. The results of these discussions constitute the main portion of this report.