There has been a long standing interest in elasmobranchs in Ireland both from a scientific and angling perspective. In the late 1960’s declines in catches of the species such as blue sharks, tope and skate became evident. At this time almost all those caught were taken ashore for weighing and photographing and fishing quays covered with dead blue sharks were a regular sight during the summer months. This prompted the Central Fisheries Board (then known as the Inland Fisheries Trust) to establish the Marine Sport fish Tagging Programme and to encourage the catch and release of these species. The programme developed over the next few years and many charter skippers signed up. The programme has been running for 39 years and is the second largest marine tagging programme in the world with over 39,000 fish tagged to date. More details of the species tagged and results can be found on the CFB website. This formative work was established well before the Irish Elasmobranch Group was founded however it is important to include as it has inspired a desire in many to conserve and study our Irish Elasmobranch species.
When the IEG was formed in 1997 there was a boom in elasmobranch studies in Ireland. These projects were based at Trinity College, NUI Galway and University College Dublin and also had strong collaborations with Board Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and the Marine Institute. The studies included detailed investigations into the biology of deepwater sharks from the slopes of the Rockall Trough and Porcupine Bank and also investigations of more common species such as the Blue shark, lesser spotted dogfish and common ray species. These studies laid the foundation for management and conservation decisions of these species and provided a strong basis for the establishment of the IEG. The group was very active during these years and regular meetings and seminars were held to promote collaboration and knowledge transfer between scientists and elasmobranch anglers.