Black Roughscale Catshark

About the Black Roughscale Catshark

The Black Roughscale Catshark is a species of catshark belonging to the family Pentanchidae. It has a widespread but very patchy distribution in the Atlantic, Indian and Southwest Pacific Oceans.

Biology

This catshark is generally uniform black in colour and may appear slightly brownish in larger specimens. There is not much information regarding this species’ biology and ecology. The Black Roughscale Catshark reaches a maximum length of approximately 79 cm (31.1 in) total length. Males reach sexual maturity at about 62 cm (24.4 in) total length, while females mature at approximately 59 cm (23.2 in) total length.

Reproduction

Black roughscale catsharks are oviparous. Females produce approximately six egg cases per litter and pups measure less than 24.7 cm (9.7 in) in length after hatching.

Habitat

This species is a bathydemersal shark that occurs on continental slopes and seamounts at depths of 512 to 1,900 m (1,680–6,234 ft), but is most commonly reported below 1,000 m (3,280 ft). In the Northeast Atlantic, it occurs from the Faroe Islands to France and around the British Isles. In the Northwest Atlantic, it has been recorded off the United States and Canada.It is also known from the Southeast Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Southwest Pacific, including areas near Namibia, the Madagascar Ridge, Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.

Conservation

The Black Roughscale Catshark is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Its population size is unknown, but the population trend is suspected to be stable because fishing effort is considered low across much of its known depth range.

The European Union Fisheries Council prohibited directed fishing for deepwater sharks in 2010. In 2012, no allowances for bycatch were implemented. A limited bycatch allowance of 10 tonnes was tested from 2017 to 2020 in certain fisheries, but this measure was discontinued after 2020.

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