Skates have become a concern in recent years due to the preponderance of
these elasmobranchs that are caught as bycatch or as a directed fishery.
This has raised concern because skates have life history characteristics
that may make them vulnerable to over-exploitation. It was due to this
concern that prompted Drs. David Ebert and James Sulikowski to organize
an international symposium on the "Biology of Skates". The aims and
goals of the symposium were to bring together an international group of
researchers to meet, discuss, perhaps develop collaborations, and
present their most recent findings.
The symposium was held over two days, on 13-14 July, 2006, in
conjunction with the 22nd annual meeting of the American
Elasmobranch Society in New Orleans, LA. A total of 31 authors from four
countries contributed 16 papers that appear in this volume. The papers
are broadly arranged into four separate categories: systematics and
biogeography, diet and feeding ecology, reproductive biology, and age
and growth. This is the first dedicated book on the biology of skates.
We hope that readers will find this volume of interest and that it helps
encourage and stimulate future research into these fascinating fishes.