Salamander Catshark

About the Salamander Catshark

The salamander catshark is a species of ground shark found in the Northwest Atlantic, from Japan to Taiwan. Like all members of the catshark shark family, they’re bottom feeders, have elongated cat-like eyes, and two small dorsal fins set far back. They’re mostly nocturnal and often sleep in groups during the day. They live in deep waters up to 120–1,177 m (394–3,862 ft) deep.

They’re oviparous and lay one egg at a time. Adults grow up to 64 cm (25 in).

No conservation measures are in place at this time.

The Salamander Catshark is a possible bycatch of deep-water demersal trawl and line fisheries and likely retained in Taiwan and discarded in Japan, with possible high post release survival. The species is noted as rare in research trawl surveys and has significant refuge from fishing pressure at depth. There is no evidence of population decline, the species is not suspected to be close to reaching the population reduction threshold, and the Salamander Catshark is assessed as Least Concern. No information is available on use and trade; if used in Taiwan, it would likely be for human consumption or fish meal. 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). Research is required to better define the species’ distribution, habitat, life history, population size and trend, and catch rates should be monitored, particularly if fisheries expand to greater depths in the region.

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