Black Dogfish

About the Black Dogfish

The Black Dogfish is a deep-water shark found mainly between 180 and 2,250 m (590–7,382 ft) in the Atlantic Ocean. It has a widespread but discontinuous distribution, occurring in the western Atlantic off the coasts of Canada, Greenland and the United States, as well as in the eastern North Atlantic from Iceland and Europe to western Africa. It has also been recorded in parts of the South Atlantic, including waters near South Africa and possibly southern Argentina.

Description

The Black Dogfish belongs to the Etmopteridae family (lantern sharks), characterized by luminescent organs called photophores in their skin. It has a dark brown to black body, large oval eyes and a relatively compact body shape. It has two dorsal fins, each preceded by a strong, sharp spine. Its eyes can show a greenish reflection when exposed to light, an adaptation commonly associated with vision in deep water.

Biology and Behaviour

The Black Dogfish is a relatively small species that can reach approximately 107 cm (42.1 in) in total length, although individuals between 60 and 75 cm (23.6–29.5 in) are more commonly reported. Males mature at 46–59 cm (18.1–23.2 in), while females mature at 46–69 cm (18.1–27.2 in). The species can weigh up to approximately 2.5 kg (5.5 lb).

The Black Dogfish is found in cold waters ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 °C (38.3–40.1 °F). Its diet includes cephalopods, crustaceans, jellyfish and fish.

Reproduction and Lifespan

The Black Dogfish is ovoviviparous, meaning that embryos develop inside the uterus and receive their nutrients from the yolk. Litter size ranges from 4 to 40 pups,with an average of 16 pups per litter. Newborns measure approximately 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) in total length, and reproduction may occur annually or every two years.

Conservation

The Black Dogfish is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Some populations in the Northwest Atlantic appear to have stabilized after declining from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s.

The species is frequently caught unintentionally in deep-water trawl, gillnet and longline fisheries. In fisheries targeting Greenland halibut around the Grand Banks, approximately 70 tonnes of Black Dogfish were caught annually between 1996 and 2005. In European waters, a zero total allowable catch (TAC) has been introduced, so captured individuals are generally discarded.

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