The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is an oceanic species that occurs in temperate and tropical waters around the globe (Robins and Ray, 1986). This species is a major bycatch of \npelagic longline fleets that operate to supply the world’s growing demand for tunas and swordfish (Xiphias gladius) \n(Stevens, 1992; Bailey et al., 1996; Francis, 1998; Francis et al., 2001; Macias and de la Serna, 2002); numerically, the blue shark is the top nontarget species captured by the \nU.S. longline pelagic Atlantic fleet (Beerkircher et al.
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