The American Elasmobranch Society (AES) is a professional society devoted to the scientific study of living and fossil chondrichthyans (shark

Shark

Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....

s, skate

Skate

Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. There are more than 200 described species in 27 genera. There are two subfamilies, Rajinae and Arhynchobatinae ....

s, rays

Batoidea

Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as rays and skates, containing more than 500 described species in thirteen families...

 and chimaera

Chimaera

Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks, ratfish , spookfish , or rabbitfishes...

s). Other aims include the promotion of education, conservation, and wise utilization of natural resources. Established in 1983 by Dr. Samuel Gruber of the University of Miami

University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

, it meets jointly every year with the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is an international organization devoted to the scientific studies of ichthyology and herpetology...

 to present research reports of interest to students of chondrichthyan biology. The society also helps to maintain the International Shark Attack File, maintains censuses of captive chondrichthyans, and recommends international and national regulatory measures and laws.