shovel-nosed dogfish of the outer shelf

Size
Length: 80–110 cm, Weight: 5–10 kg
Lifespan
25–35 years
Diet
Feeds on small fish, squid and crustaceans. Hunts near seafloor using long, flattened snout. Uses electroreception to locate buried prey. Feeds on whatever drifts within range. Swims with slow, steady motion in deep waters.
Habitat
Inhabits deep continental slopes and seamounts between 200 and 1,000 metres depth. Prefers muddy and sandy bottoms with stable, cold temperatures. Often found near seafloor in darker waters of continental slope.
Range
Found in deep waters around New Zealand from Northland to Campbell Plateau. Most common on Chatham Rise and off west coast of South Island. Also found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans globally.
Endemism
Native
Main Threats
Bycatch in deep-sea trawl and longline fisheries is primary threat. Habitat damage from bottom trawling on seamounts. Extremely slow reproduction makes populations vulnerable. No targeted commercial fishery in New Zealand but valued overseas for liver oil.
Population
Population trends poorly understood due to deep-water habitat. Caught as bycatch in orange roughy and oreo fisheries. Quota management limits total bycatch. Slow growth and low reproduction mean recovery from overfishing could take decades.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
A long flattened snout that looks like a shovel. This is a shark that digs for dinner. The shovelnose spiny dogfish is named for its distinctive nose. It is a broad triangular blade. The shark uses it to probe the sediment for buried prey. Two venomous spines sit in front of the dorsal fins. This is a characteristic of the spiny dogfish family. Touch those spines and the memory will last. A shark that has a shovel and a weapon. The design is functional. The defence is effective. The liver is filled with low-density oils. These provide buoyancy in the deep sea. This adaptation allows the shark to hover effortlessly near the seafloor. It saves energy in an environment where food is scarce. It lives between 200 and 1,000 metres down. The pressure would crush a human. The cold never ends. A shark that floats without trying. The physiology supports the lifestyle. The depth is extreme. The survival is adapted. Shovelnose spiny dogfish are slow-growing. They are slow to reproduce. A lifespan of 25 to 35 years sounds impressive. Until the realisation comes. It takes decades to reach breeding age. The flesh is sometimes sold as snow fillets. This name hides its identity as a deep-sea shark. A marketing trick. A fish that becomes something else when put on ice. The consumer is unaware. The origin is obscured. The value is extracted. Population trends are poorly understood. The shovelnose spiny dogfish is caught as bycatch in deep-sea trawl and longline fisheries. These target orange roughy and oreo. No one targets it specifically. But it dies in the nets anyway. The catch is incidental. The mortality is certain. The data is absent. The risk is high. A deep-sea shark with a shovel for a nose. A venomous spine on its back. A liver full of oil. It waits for someone to learn more before it is accidentally fished down. The net drags. The shovelnose comes up. Nose like a blade. Spines raised. It is thrown back, if it is lucky. Most are not. The outcome is random. The fate is sealed. The discard is routine. It does not know why. It was just digging in the mud. It carries on in the depths. Unseen. Unvalued by the casual observer. But noted by those who know. It remains in the dark. A testament to the intact slope. A relic of the wild deep. It waits for the net. Or it does not. The choice is random. The outcome is certain. The shark persists. It moves through the water. Unaware of the name. Unconcerned with the market. Focused on survival. And the next meal. In the cold, dark expanse. Where it belongs. The shovelnose endures.