Dusky Catshark

About the Dusky Catshark

The Dusky Catshark is a species of catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae, found from Peru and Chile to the Straits of Magellan.

This species attains a maximum size of 124 cm TL. Males reach maturity at 52 – 55 cm TL and females at 59 cm TL. The reproduction mode is oviparous, lays two egg capsules at a time, one per oviduct. Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes. This bathydemersal species occurs in temperate deep-water of the continental shelf and upper slope of the Pacific Ocean around South America, primarily on mud, but also on rocky bottoms at depths of 200 to 700 m.

This species is used as bycatch in the deep sea crustacean fishery for the red squat lobster, the yellow squat lobster, and the deep sea shrimp. The species is discarded and there is no data available on trends in bycatch. There are no current conservation measures in place for this species. Monitoring of bycatch in Chilean fisheries and catches in Peru are a priority.  

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