Towards a new understanding of elasmobranch hearing

Elasmobranchs are of important global conservation concern, however their hearing abilities, use of sound, and responses to anthropogenic noise pollution are all vastly understudied, despite noise pollution being an ever-increasing concern to global fish populations. This review focuses on the hearing ability of elasmobranchs and their attraction and avoidance response to sound. The benefits and drawbacks of field vs laboratory studies are discussed in this review, along with an estimate of the minimum sound detection distance of elasmobranchs (using lemon sharks as a model). Some important practical applications of sound on elasmobranch conservation efforts are outlined (potential deterrence for bycatch and the rare occurrence of shark attacks) and future research suggestions are provided.