At a glance
- IUCN category
- VU · Vulnerable
- Animal group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The spiny dogfish is a small, schooling shark with sharp spines in front of its dorsal fins. It is assessed (globally) as Vulnerable.
It has one of the longest pregnancies of any vertebrate.
Range & habitat
Temperate coastal waters worldwide.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Overfishing
- A very slow reproductive rate and long gestation
- Bycatch
Why it matters
A small, heavily fished shark with extraordinarily slow reproduction, the spiny dogfish shows how even abundant-seeming sharks can be overfished.
Sources
Sources for Spiny Dogfish
- IUCN Red List — look up Spiny Dogfish (authoritative status)
- FishBase
Frequently Asked Questions
What is remarkable about the spiny dogfish's reproduction?
It has one of the longest gestation periods of any vertebrate — well over a year and a half — which makes it very slow to recover from overfishing.
Why is the spiny dogfish Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite overfishing, its slow reproductive rate and long gestation, and bycatch. See the IUCN Red List.
Last updated: