Major world fisheries for elasmobranchs are described in regard to their importance, recent trends, problems for assessment and management, conservation and the outlook for their sustainability. The analysis considers trends and outlooks in FAO's statistical areas, individual accounts of fisheries by the major elasmobranch fishing nations and the high seas fisheries that have significant by catches of elasmobranchs. Information on species, gears, patterns of exploitation, research and management of elasmobranchs is summarized for each of these countries. The general problems in appraising and managing elasmobranch fisheries and the need for conservation are discussed and possible solutions for some of these problems are proposed.