Dogfish Report
Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) are found in the western North Atlantic from Greenland to Argentina. However the most common Spiny Dogfish we can find from Nova Scotia to Cape Hatteras. We can also find them in the eastern Atlantic from Iceland and the northern Russian coast to South Africa. It also includes the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Many scientists say that Spiny Dogfishes are coming from Sharks. They are the shark relatives. In summer, dogfish migrate northward to the Gulf of Maine Georges Bank region and into Canadian waters and return southward in autumn and winter (Jensen 1965). They tend to school by size and, when mature, by sex. Dogfish feed on many species of fish and crustaceans, but generally target the most abundant species (Link et al. 2002). In the Northwest Atlantic, maximum reported ages for
males and females are 35 and 40 years, respectively (Nammack 1982). The species bears live young, with a gestation period of about 18 to 22 months, and produce between 2 to 15 pups with an average of 6. Size at maturity for females is around 80 cm, but can vary from 78 cm to 85 cm depending on the abundance of females. (Sosebee 2005).
Description
“The spiny dogfish is a small schooling shark that forms groups of hundreds or thousands of individuals of the same sex and size. It is one of the most abundant demersal shark species. This shark is gray or brownish on top and pale gray or white on its ventral side with irregular white spots on the top or sides of the body. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first and both fins have spines at their origin. The caudal fin is asymmetrical with the upper lobe being larger. The smooth edged short and oblique teeth are similar in both the upper and lower jaw.”
Habitat:
They prefer to have temperatures from 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Spiny dogfishes are located inshore and offshore of the continental and insular shelf and upper slopes and are usually found near the bottom (but also in mid-water
males and females are 35 and 40 years, respectively (Nammack 1982). The species bears live young, with a gestation period of about 18 to 22 months, and produce between 2 to 15 pups with an average of 6. Size at maturity for females is around 80 cm, but can vary from 78 cm to 85 cm depending on the abundance of females. (Sosebee 2005).
Description
“The spiny dogfish is a small schooling shark that forms groups of hundreds or thousands of individuals of the same sex and size. It is one of the most abundant demersal shark species. This shark is gray or brownish on top and pale gray or white on its ventral side with irregular white spots on the top or sides of the body. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first and both fins have spines at their origin. The caudal fin is asymmetrical with the upper lobe being larger. The smooth edged short and oblique teeth are similar in both the upper and lower jaw.”
Habitat:
They prefer to have temperatures from 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Spiny dogfishes are located inshore and offshore of the continental and insular shelf and upper slopes and are usually found near the bottom (but also in mid-water
References: http://www.marinebiodiversity.ca/shark/english/spinyd.htm http://www.arkive.org/spiny-dogfish/squalus-acanthias/image-G25036.html http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/atl_spiny_dogfish.htm http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/op/dogfish/ http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/op/dogfish/archives/Spiny_dogfish_Jan-2000.pdf http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/spinydogfish/spinydogfish.html