North Pacific blue shark stock assessment

A stock assessment of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) population in the North Pacific was conducted using catch and effort data from commercial longline and large mesh driftnet fisheries from the years 1971 through 2002 as well as small mesh driftnet fisheries operating primarily in the 1980s. Because reporting of shark catch has not been required in these fisheries, which target primarily tunas, a system for identifying the more reliable longline catch reports was utilized.