INTRODUCTION 



Since the Second World War, the United States Navy has supported 

 basic and applied research on elasmobranchs. This has resulted in a great 

 advance in our knowledge of sharks, their capabilities and recently, their 

 behavior, including the publication of numerous scientific papers and two 

 major volumes about sharks: Sharks and Survival, edited by P.W. Gilbert 

 (1963) and Sharks, Skates and Rays, edited by P.W. Gilbert, R.F. Mathewson 

 and D.P. Rail (1967). Research on sharks has given us some appreciation of 

 the remarkable abilities of these animals which are so primitive, yet are 

 so well adapted for the role they play in the environment. Undoubtedly, 

 future research efforts will enable us to know them still better. 



The sharks 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. Intentionally, no 

 attempt was made to cover all aspects of elasmobranch research since these 

 can be as diverse as the entire discipline of biology. In fact, it was 

 suggested that a second workshop be. held in the future, concentrating on 

 those aspects of elasmobranch biology such as immunobiology, cellular 

 metabolism, pathology, etc., wherein the elasmobranch is essentially 

 utilized simply as another kind of experimental animal of convenience or 

 choice. In addition, because the conference was in the nature of a work- 

 shop discussing areas of potential future research, this resulting report 

 cannot be considered a review of the entire field of elasmobranch research, 

 even in those topics specifically covered and represented by the partici- 

 pants. 



BJZ 



