Current knowledge on biology, fishing and conservation of the blue shark (Prionace glauca ) Taísy Emmanuelle Florentino da Silva 1 , Rosangela Lessa 3 , Francisco Marcante Santana 1,2,3 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia (PPGE), Departamento de Biologia (DB), Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife – PE, Brazil 2 Laboratório de Dinâmica de Populações Aquáticas (DAQUA), Unidade Acadêmica de Serra Talhada (UAST), Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Serra Talhada – PE, Brazil 3 Laboratório de Dinâmica de Populações Marinhas (DIMAR), Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura (DEPAq), Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife – PE, Brazil Corresponding author: Taísy Emmanuelle Florentino da Silva (thaisy-emmanuelle@hotmail.com) Academic editor: P. Lehmann  | Received 16 September 2020 | Accepted 23 December 2020 | Published 21 January 2021 Citation: da Silva TEF, Lessa R, Santana FM (2021) Current knowledge on biology, fshing and conservation of the blue shark (Prionace glauca). Neotropical Biology and Conservation 16(1): 71–88. https://doi.org/10.3897/ neotropical.16.58691 Abstract Te blue shark (Prionace glauca) is a large predator in marine ecosystems, fguring as the most com- mon and abundant species in oceanic fsheries. For this reason, many studies on this species were conducted throughout its entire distribution range. However, no comparison has been made regarding the variability of the aspects addressed herein. Tus, the present study aims at analyzing the available information on P. glauca. Tis species constitutes between 85 and 90% of the total elasmobranchs caught by oceanic fsheries with pelagic longlines. Growth parameters reveal that individuals in the Atlantic Ocean show the highest asymptotic lengths when compared to those found in other oceans. Females present an average uterine fecundity of 30 embryos. Although it shows a diverse diet, it is mainly composed of teleost fsh and cephalopods. Currently, the main threat to the species is commer- cial fshing, being listed in Brazil and worldwide, according to IUCN as Near Treatened. Regardless, information on crucial aspects, such as its population dynamics, are still scarce or unreliable for many areas. Despite the number of studies regarding its distribution, abundance, and biology, data for new stock assessments of P. glauca are still needed to improve the species’ management. Keywords Conservation, elasmobranch, feeding ecology, growth, reproduction, stock assessment Neotropical Biology and Conservation 16(1): 71–88 (2021) doi: 10.3897/neotropical.16.58691 Copyright Thaísy E.F. da Silva et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. REVIEW ARTICLE