Bareskin Dogfish

About the Bareskin Dogfish

The Bareskin Dogfish is a little-known deepwater dogfish found on or near the bottom of continental and insular slopes and seamounts. It has been recorded in waters around Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. Bareskin dogfish can be found between 500 and 1,200 metres (1,640–3,937 ft) deep in the northwest, southwest and central Pacific ocean, as well as parts of the eastern Indian Ocean.

The Bareskin Dogfish is born in litters of 3 to 22 pups, with a size at birth ranging from 16 to 31 cm (6.3–12.2 in). Males reach maturity at about 44 cm (17.3 in), while females mature at around 55 cm (21.7 in). The species can reach a total length of at least 63 cm (24.8 in).

The species is not usually targeted, but is occasionally caught as bycatch in deepwater bottom-trawl and longline fisheries. No species-specific conservation or management plan is currently in place. However, fishing-depth restrictions and protected or closed areas in parts of Australia and New Zealand may provide some indirect protection. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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