Dogfish: Spiny

Dogfish

Spiny dogfish are a small coastal shark inhabiting the temperate continental shelves throughout the world. In North America they are found off both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada and the U.S. Atlantic spiny dogfish have considerably different life histories than the Pacific spiny dogfish. Spiny dogfish are slow to reproduce with ages of 50% female maturity on the Atlantic coast at 12 years and on the Pacific coast, at an unbelievable 35 years. They give live birth to typically 6 pups after a gestation period of 18-24 months. They prey upon a wide variety of fish and invertebrate species. The stock structure of the western Atlantic population is presently under review, but for management purposes they are considered as one coast-wide stock. The Pacific population is thought to comprise of three subpopulations. Very few spiny dogfish make there way into Canadian or U.S. markets. Most are exported to Europe.

Spiny dogfish in Pacific waters are slow-growing, late to mature (~32 years) and very long lived(80 years+)and are therefore inherently highly vulnerable to fishing.

Although there has not been a formal stock assessment of BC spiny dogfish since the late 1980s. Catch rates have been maintained and catches are typically 1/3 of the calculated allowable catch. Because this assessments are outdated, there is still a moderate conservation concern.

Most spiny dogfish caught in BC waters are caught by bottom longline with a lesser amount by bottom trawl. There are no endangered species captured by this fleet. Limited obsever coverage indicates that this fishery has a moderate bycatch level. Bycatch in the trawl fishery is also a moderate conservation concern.

Bottom longlines have a moderate impact on benthic habitats. Bottom trawling has severe impacts on seafloor habitats. This category is given a yellow ranking as most spiny dogfish are captured by bottom longline.

There has been very little active management of spiny dogfish on the BC coast and no recent stock assessments. However, the fleet has recently come under 100% observer coverage (electronic monitoring) and has full dockside monitoring and therefore the management is only a moderate concern.

Where was this species caught? Dogfish caught from the Canadian Pacific are a better choice than those from elsewhere in North America.

No listing is available from the Environmental Defense Oceans Alive program

No.