Spotless Smooth-hound

The species is a bycatch of a range of artisanal and industrial gears including demersal trawl, longline, set net, and gillnet and is retained for human consumption and fish meal. The Spotless Smooth-hound has declined by 75% over three generation lengths (30 years) in Viet Nam. Landings data of all sharks combined from the Taiwan Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and reconstructed catches of all sharks, skates, and rays from the Japan, China, South Korea, and Viet Nam EEZs indicate declines of 30–98% over the past three generation lengths (30 years). These levels of declines are not species-specific but are informative for understanding the broader levels of decline in sharks in the region. Fishing pressure is high across the entire spatial and depth range of the Spotless Smooth-hound. It is a valued species that was targeted in the past. Once common, it is now reported as rare in parts of Taiwan, yet stable over the past 15 years in one part of Japan, where fishing pressure has reduced in recent years. The inshore and seasonal trawl bans in Taiwan and China waters may afford the species some refuge from fishing pressure. It is suspected that the Spotless Smooth-hound has undergone a population reduction of 50–79% over the past three generation lengths (30 years) due to levels of exploitation, and it is assessed as Endangered A2d.

No specific measures are in place. In China, since the late 1990s, regulations have specified varying annual seasonal fishing closures on commercial demersal trawling in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and in the South China Sea to 12⁰N (Yu and Yu 2008). Trawling is banned all year round in the Bohai Sea (Yu and Yu 2008). The closure times have varied over the years and between regions, but most now commence in May and are in place for 3–4 months. In 2018, this seasonal closure was widened to also include all other commercial fishing gears (e.g. gillnet and longline) with the only exception being for rod and reel to allow small-scale artisanal fisheries and recreational fisheries (Zhang unpubl. data 2019). Since 2017, enforcement of the seasonal closure has strengthened (Chen unpubl. data 2019). The effectiveness of the closures is debatable as overfishing remains a threat (Yu and Yu 2008, Pauly and Liang 2019). Some of the species range may be protected along the China coastline as it is estimated that ~20% of the coastline is included in Protected Areas (MacKinnon et al. 2012).

In Taiwan, there is a prohibition on using any net fishing gear (e.g. trawls, seine nets) in 68 reef areas (Fisheries Agency 2019). Since 1999, all demersal trawling is prohibited within 3 nautical miles (nm) of the coast and within 12 nm for trawlers larger than 50 Gross Registered Tonnage (Fisheries Agency 2019, Liao et al. 2019). Since the mid–2000s, gillnets have been banned within 3 nm in parts of five counties with a policy of gradual removal of gillnets from within 3 nm of the entire coast and government assistance to transition to line and troll fishing (Fisheries Agency 2019, Liao et al. 2019). Since 2005, shark fins must be naturally attached on vessels that use ice to preserve the catch (Fisheries Agency 2019, Liao et al. 2019). This species may be protected in some of the ~32 Protected Areas which cover ~38% of the Taiwan coastline and ~47% of Taiwan territorial seas, with no-entry and no-take areas accounting for 0.9% and 4.6% of the territorial seas, respectively (MacKinnon et al. 2012, Fisheries Agency 2019, Liao et al. 2019). 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). In Viet Nam, there is a prohibition on destructive fishing practices, and some fisheries regulations, however, enforcement and compliance is limited (Teh et al. 2014). There are at least three Marine Protected Areas (Hon Mun, Cu Lao Cham, and Con Dao) with an aim to preserve 2% of the marine area (FAO 2020). Further research is needed on population size and trend, and catches should be monitored.

To conserve the population and to permit recovery, a suite of measures will be required which may include species protection, spatial management, bycatch mitigation, and harvest and trade management measures (including international trade measures). Effective enforcement of measures will require ongoing training and capacity-building (including in the area of species identification). Catch monitoring is needed to help understand population trends and inform management.