Western Longnose Spurdog

Shark Database | Dog and Angelfish Sharks - Squaliformes | Western Longnose Spurdog

About the Western Longnose Spurdog

The western longnose spurdog is a rare dogfish species found off the coast of Western Australia, at depths of 300 to 850 m (984–2,789 ft).

These spurdogs are slender with a narrow head and a long, narrow snout. They have a spine on their first dorsal fin, like other members of their family. They are grey on top and white underneath.

Their reproduction is ovoviviparous, but litter sizes are unknown. Ovoviviparous animals reproduce by developing eggs inside the mother’s body, where the embryos hatch internally and are born as live young, nourished by the egg yolk rather than a placenta. They’re also known to be one of the most solitary spurdogs.

There is minimal deepwater fishing in its Australian distribution. In eastern Indonesia, the Western Longnose Spurdog is infrequently recorded by demersal longline fisheries, however, the expansion of deepwater fisheries in this region is likely an ongoing and future threat to the species. Species-specific catch data in Indonesian fisheries are unavailable, and thus, the degree of fishing on the species cannot be determined at this time. Given anecdotal evidence of rapid declines of squaloid shark catches in Indonesia and uncertainty of the extent of threat, it is suspected that a population reduction of 20-30% has occurred over the last three generations (66 years) due to actual levels of exploitation in areas outside Australia. A further reduction is suspected over the future three generation lengths (2018-2084) based on current levels of exploitation and a lack of species-specific management in areas outside Australia. As such, the species is assessed listed as Near Threatened (close to meeting Vulnerable A2d+3d).

There are currently no species-specific conservation measures in place for the Western Longnose Spurdog. The Australian North Coast Bioregion and North-West Marine Parks Network includes several marine reserves and marine management areas which are closed to trawling (Fletcher et al. 2017), and may indirectly provide some refuge in this region. Further information is required on the life history, population size, and trends of the Western Longnose Spurdog, as well as interactions with fisheries, particularly in Indonesia.

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