Saddle Carpetshark

About the Saddle Carpetshark

Also known as the Saddled Carpetshark, this rare, poorly-known shark species is native to temperate waters of the northwest Pacific. They can be found on the uppermost slopes at 250-290 metres (820–951 ft) in southwest Japan (Shikoku and Kyushu to Yakushima Island and the possibly Ryukyu Islands), 35°N – 24°N, 125°E – 135°E.

Biology:

The Saddled Carpetshark is distinguished by its nine boldly-marked saddle marks on the sides of the body. They grow to a maximum length of 48.5 cm (19 in), with females maturing at 44.5 cm (17.5 in) and males at 36.7-40.7 cm (14.4 – 16.0 in). Anything else of the biology of this species is unknown, including behaviour and population information.

Conservation:

The species is a possible bycatch of trawl fisheries and likely discarded as it is of no commercial interest. Effort in trawl fisheries across its range has dramatically reduced over the past three decades and the species has not been subject to intense fishing pressure over the inferred past three generation lengths (8 years). The Saddled Carpetshark is inferred to mature early and have a fast growth rate, and it likely has high post-release survival. There is no evidence of population decline, the species is not suspected to be close to reaching the population reduction threshold, and the Saddled Carpetshark is assessed as Least Concern.

The species is of no commercial interest to fisheries (A. Yamaguchi unpubl. data 2019), however some aquaria in Japan exhibit this species (S. Tanaka unpubl. data 2020). No specific measures are in place. In Japan, management measures have been implemented since the mid-1990s to control fishing effort that include total allowable catches, seasonal closures, and gear restrictions (White Paper 2015). Further research is needed on population size and trend, and life history, and catch rates should be monitored.

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Saddle Carpetshark Gallery