Iceland Catshark

About the Iceland Catshark

The Iceland or Icelandic Catshark is a species of catshark, belong to the family Scyliorhinidae. This shark is found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts to the northern Gulf of Mexico to Eastern Atlantic from Iceland to the Canary Islands and Madeira.  

Biology and Descriptions:

The Icelandic Catshark has a slender body, tapering slightly toward the head. It has a broad and somewhat long, bell-shaped snout. The first and second dorsal fin is almost the same size. Its colour is mainly of a dark brown with no prominent marks. The average size of this shark ranges from 50 cm to 60 cm with a reported maximum size of 67 cm TL. Its diet consists of squid, bony fish, marine worms, and crustaceans. This species is Oviparous, paired eggs are laid and embryos feed solely on the yolk.

Habitat:

The Icelandic Catshark is an apparently deepwater catshark on the continental slope in parts of North Atlantic at depths of 560 and 2060 m, usually over mud or other soft sea bottoms.

Conservation:

This species is usually caught as bycatch in deepwater bottom trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and Northeast Atlantic, but there is no information regarding catch levels.

There are no conservation measures in place at the moment for this species. Further research is required to better document the species’ biology, distribution and catch levels.  

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Iceland Catshark Gallery