Shark Focus

Andy Murch / Elasmodiver.comDOGFISH ARE SHARKS TOOCoastal species oftencalled “dogfish” needsound conservationpolicies and strictfinning bans, just likebigger sharks.Spiny and smooth “dogfishes”are among the world’sMOST HEAVILYFISHEDsharks.Smooth dogfish areactually in theSMOOTHHOUNDgenus (Mustelus), not truedogfishes (Family Squalidae).Smoothhound fisheries aremanaged in some places, butUNREGULATEDin the US and EU as catches rise.Dusky smoothhound shark, also knownas smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis.US Atlantic spiny dogfishquotas have doubledin the time it takesthe species to producepups (TWO YEARS).US Atlantic coastwidestate ban on removingshark fins at seaEXCLUDES smoothdogfish.The smooth dogfish isthe ONLY US Atlanticspecies that is targetedin commercial fisherieswithout fishing limits.The US Shark Conservation Actsingles out smooth dogfish forpotential exceptions.Smoothhounds are commerciallyimportant in Argentina, ranked5th in global shark catch*.Spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthiasIllustration: Marc DandoEU spiny dogfish fisherieshave been closed due toserious DEPLETION.Follow our efforts on Twitterby using #dogfishRsharks2UK shark catches are made up ofmostly dogfishes (including smoothhounds)*which are sold as “rocksalmon” in fish and chip shops.Smoothhounds rank 4thin EU shark catches*, butare UNREGULATED.South Africa exports substantial,UNLIMITED amounts of smoothhoundsto Australia for fish and chips. 1SHARKADVOCATESINTERNATIONALStudies of Hong Kongfin trade auctions foundthat 39% of FINS byweight were from small,undifferentiated sharks,including dogfish. 3Spiny dogfish andsmoothhound FINSretail for $160/kg inSingapore markets. 2Most sharks taken inNew Zealand fisheriesare smoothhounds orspiny dogfish, and aremanaged with quotas*.Australian fisheries for smoothhounds (alsocalled “gummy shark” and “flake”) areSUSTAINABLE thanks to strict management.*See: Fischer, J., Erikstein, K., D’Offay, B., Guggisberg, S. & Barone, M. 2012. Reviewof the Implementation of the International Plan of Action for the Conservation andManagement of Sharks. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1076. Rome, FAO.1Da Silva,C and Burgener,M. 2007. "South Africa's Demersal Shark Meat Harvest".In: TRAFFIC Bulletin. TRAFFIC International. Cambridge UK..2Clarke, S. 2005. Trade in Shark Products in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.Southeast Asian Development Center and ASEAN, Singapore.3Clarke, S., unpublished data.Learn more about dogfishes of all kinds at www.iucnredlist.orgSMOOTHHOUND LANDINGS BY UK >10M VESSELSLive weight (t)300250200150100500US SHARK LANDINGS, 2011Dogfish(spiny andsmooth)All othersharksSharks,unspecified10%2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010US ATLANTIC SMOOTH DOGFISH (SMOOTHHOUND) LANDINGSMillions of pounds3.02.52.01.51.00.502000 2002 2004 2006 2008 20100 5 10 15 20 25 30Landings (millions of pounds)US SHARKEXPORTS, 2011Driedshark fins1%Dogfish(spiny andsmooth)89%Source: Marine Management Organisations (UK)Source: US NMFS Fisheries Statistics & Economics Division Source: NMFS Source: Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program10 www.sharktrust.org/id Shark Focus 47Shark Focus 47 www.sharktrust.org/id 11