Taiwan Saddled Carpetshark

About the Taiwan Saddled Carpetshark

The Taiwan saddled carpetshark is found on the ocean floor or close to the bottom in subtropical areas of the northwestern Pacific. This species is also referred to as the Collared carpet shark.

The Taiwan saddled carpetshark is a small thin shark with a long body and elongated tail. The max length of this species is about 39cm/1.28 ft. They live at depths of about 100 m/328 ft, but in some cases they can go as deep as 320 m/1,050 ft.

Pups are produced by means of paired eggs, which are laid and then hatched in the water. The embryos are feed solely on yolk while in the egg.

The species is a bycatch of bottom trawl fisheries that operate across its entire depth range, use small mesh sizes, and have been intensive for a considerable time. Standardised catch rates of all sharks taken by trawl in southwest Taiwan have declined by 64% over 17 years from 1997–2013. This represents a 41% decline when scaled to three generation lengths (8 years). The species has a highly restricted distribution, with a relatively narrow depth range entirely exposed to intense trawl fishing. The inshore trawl ban in Taiwan waters may afford the species some refuge from fishing pressure. It is inferred that the Taiwan Saddled Carpetshark has undergone a population reduction of 30–49% over the last three generation lengths (8 years) due to levels of exploitation (bycatch), and it is assessed as Vulnerable A2d.

There are no species-specific conservation measures in place. However, since 1999, all demersal trawling in Taiwan is prohibited within three 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). Research is required to better define the life history, population size and trend of the Taiwan Saddled Carpetshark, and catch rates should be monitored.

 

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