Symposium Summary
Cartilaginous fishes of the Order Rhinopristiformes (‘rhino rays’) represent one of the most threatened groups of animals in the world. The majority of species (72%) are considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The inaugural American Elasmobranch Society (AES) Global Wedgefish and Guitarfish Symposium brought together a series of presentations focusing on the non-sawfish rhino rays (i.e., wedgefishes, guitarfishes, giant guitarfishes, banjo rays).
Sponsors
The Symposium was sponsored by the American Elasmobranch Society, Save Our Seas Foundation, Pacific Shark Research Center (Moss Landing Marine Laboratories), The Dallas World Aquarium, Charles Darwin University, and the Georgia Aquarium.
Participation
The symposium was held virtually over two days in November 2021 and comprised 27 presentations on research, conservation, and management of these fishes.
Presenters were from 18 countries spread around the world, providing a truly global symposium.
In total, 280 people registered for the Symposium from 37 countries: 78 current AES members and 202 non-AES members. The 10 countries with the most registered people were the United States, Australia, Brazil, Peru, United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Thailand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. AES members were represented by 18 countries, with non-members from 33 countries.
Symposium Report
Click here to download a copy of the Report on the AES Global Wedgefish and Guitarfish Symposium.
Presentations
To view the presentations from the Symposium, visit: https://www.youtube.com/wedgefish-guitarfish-symposium
Beyond Jaws Podcast
To listen to podcast interviews of all 29 Symposium presenters please visit the Beyond Jaws AES Symposium Podcast, the Speak Up For Blue Podcast Network or your favorite podcast platform.