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A bibliometric analysis of elasmobranch research in Ecuador

Abstract:

Elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are of great economic and ecological importance. However, no studies have examined the scientific production of this important subclass subject to high fishing exploitation in Ecuador in detail. Therefore, the objective of this study was to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the study of these fishes at the national level. For this, the digital platforms Scopus, SciELO, Google and Google Scholar were used. A total of 276 documents were found (142 scientific articles, 59 undergraduate theses, 31 technical documents, 13 book chapters, 12 master's theses, six symposiums, four conference papers, three doctoral theses, three preprints, two letters, and one note). On average, the time required to publish the data from the first year of sampling to the final publication was 7.3 years. A significant increase in the number of investigations was observed from 2013 to 2022, with an average of 9.6 documents per year. This period represented 72.1% of all scientific research related to elasmobranchs. Despite an increase in publications in recent years, aspects such as the abundance of studies on feeding ecology and scant research on batoids still need to be corrected, which could affect the implementation of adequate conservation measures.