Slender Weasel Shark

About the Slender Weasel Shark

The slender weasel shark is a species of ground shark found in the Indian Ocean. Very little is known abut their biology but like other weasel sharks, it has a nictitating membrane, two dorsal fins, and anal fin, and five gill slits.

They are viviparous, meaning giving birth to live young, and give birth to 2 pups per litter.  They can grow up to 48 cm/1 ft 6.9 in and are usually found in shallow water up to 18 m/59 ft in depth.

They were first described in 1996 are often mistaken for other weasel sharks. They’re consumed widely throughout their range. Fishing pressure and habitat degradation are making their numbers decline. They’re currently considered near threatened but could become vulnerable soon. More studies are required.

The species is caught in inshore gillnet, trawl, and line fisheries throughout its range and is retained for its meat and fins. Reconstructed catches of combined sharks across the Western Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Sulu-Celebes Sea, and the Indonesian Sea infer a population reduction of 42% over three generation lengths (24 years). This level of decline is not species-specific but is informative for understanding the broader levels of decline in sharks in the region. Inshore fishing pressure is intense throughout this shallow water species’ range and it has no refuge from fishing pressure and the species is reported as both common and rare in different parts of its range. It is suspected that the Slender Weasel Shark has undergone a population reduction of 30–49% over the past three generation lengths (24 years) due to levels of exploitation.

Fisheries in the region have experienced increased demand for sharks since the 1970s due to the shark fin trade and as a result, effort is increasing in traditional shark fisheries in many areas (Henderson et al. 2007, Jabado et al. 2015).

The meat of this species is often sold fresh for human consumption at local markets. Fins are not considered valuable due to their small size but are still traded internationally.

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