Rough Longnose Dogfish

About the Rough Longnose Dogfish

The Deania Hystricosa, or Rough Longnose Dogfish, is a little-known deepwater shark found on the upper and middle continental and insular slopes of the northeast Atlantic and northwest Pacific oceans. They are found 471 to 1,900 metres deep in areas off South Africa, Portugal, New Zealand and Japan.

This small-medium shark species attains a maximum total length of 111 cm, with males maturing at around 84 cm and females maturing at around 109 cm long. The Rough Longnose Dogfish are ovoviviparous and although there is no data for an average litter size, one known female had 12 large eggs.

Population

The Rough Longnose Dogfish is common in Madeira, Portugal and was captured with bottom long-lines during two research cruises in 2004 and 2005. In Namibia, South Africa this species is the second most abundant shark and in New Zealand, on the other hand, there is only one known specimen.

Conservation and Tourism

The Rough Longnose Dogfish is a minor commercial shark, used for liver oil and meat in areas including Spain and Portugal.  Particularly, in Madeira they are taken as bycatch  in the Black Scabbardfish fishery and then used for human consumption,as they are similar to cod fish after drying.

They are also caught as bycatch from deepwater fisheries in areas including South Africa, as well as offshore bottom trawlers in Japan.

There are no specific management measures in place for this species, but like many deep water sharks they require more research and monitoring, especially as the use of deepwater fisheries expand worldwide.
Fortunately for the Rough Longnose Dogfish, the use of fixed gillnets at over 200 metres deep have been banned in the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Do you have images or videos of Rough Longnose Dogfishs?
Submit them to [email protected].