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Interest to Fisheries: Probably taken regularly in the tropical pelagic Japanese longline fisheries
(marketed in Tokyo), but otherwise often taken in the Cuban longline fishery off the north coast of Cuba. It is
utilized fresh, frozen and dried salted for human consumption. In addition to longlines, the species is taken with
hook-and-line, and with anchored gillnets.
Literature : Guitart Manday (1966, 1975); Garrick (1967); Bass, d'Aubrey & Kistnasamy (1975b);
Fourmanoir & Laborde (1978); Dodrill & Gillmore (1979); Gillmore (1983).
Remarks : Some writers (Garrick, 1967, Compagno, 1977, 1981a) thought that the species Lamiostoma
belyaevi Giikman, 1964 might prove to be an earlier name for I. paucus, particularly because a stuffed Isurus
illustrated in a photograph in Giikman (1964, figs 31-32) and labelled L. belyaevi appeared to be a longfin mako.
Unfortunatel y this may be irrelevant even if correct. A translati on of Glikman's descripti on of L. bel yaevi
(pp 105. 132-133; by Mrs. L.J. Dempster with the aid of Dr V.V. Barsukov) revealed that Glikman deliberately
refrained from naming the stuffed Isurus as holotype of L. belyaevi but instead picked one lot of teeth crowns
dredged from the ocean bottom 5120 m deep at RV Vitiaz station 5128, 13° 00'N, 176°04'E (Glikman, 1964, pl. 31,
figs 13, 14, 18, 19) for this role. Examination of Glikman's photos did not convince me that the shark or sharks
represented by these teeth were necessarily conspecific with I. paucus and were not conspecific with I. oxyrinchus
or even some extinct Isurus species. Hence I cannot recommend the substitution of the species name belyaevi for
paucus, especially because the former is based on such poor material. It is uncertain if the stuffed specimen
illustrated by Glikman is I. paucus also, because some of the characters ascribed to it (snout very long and acute,
pectoral fins falcate, and pectoral fin length slightly less than the distance from snout tip to upper margin of first
gill opening, vs. snout short and bluntly conical, pectoral fins not strongly falcate, and pectoral fin length much
longer than the distance from snout tip to upper margin of first gill opening in I. paucus) indicate that it might be
a specimen of I. oxyrinchus instead.
Lamna Cuvier, 1817 LAMN Lamn
Genus : Subgenus Lamna Cuvier, 1817 (genus Squalus Linnaeus, 1758), [Link]., ed. 1, 2:126.
Type Species : Squalus cornumicus Bloch & Schneider, 1801, by monotypy, equals S. cornubicus Gmelin,
1789; a junior synonym of S. nasus Bonnaterre, 1788.
Synonymy : Genus Lamia Risso, 1826 (not Lamia Fabricius, 1775 in Insecta); Genus Selanonius Fleming,
1828; Genus Exoles Gistel, 1848.
Diagnostic Features : Body very stout. Snout acutely conical, rather long; nostrils more mesial on snout,
situated medial to head rim in ventral view; mouth broadly parabolic; teeth narrow and thick, awl-shaped, with
narrow smooth-edged, nearly straight cusps and usually well-developed lateral cusplets (except in young below 1 m
long); intermediate teeth in upper jaw small, less than half height of upper anteriors. First dorsal origin over or
just behind the pectoral insertions, anal origin about under second dorsal origin; small secondary keels present on
base of caudal fin just below primary keels.
Remarks : Specimens and the literature suggest that there are only two species in the genus, with L. philippi
from Chile and L. whitleyi from New Zealand and Australia most probably being synonyms of L. nasus. As shown
by Bigelow & Schroeder 1948) and Nakaya (1971), L. ditropis is readily separable from L. nasus
Key to Species
1a. Snout relatively long, distance from snout tip to eye 2 or less times in distance from eye to
first gill opening. Underside of body white, without dark spots and blotches, free rear tip of
first dorsal abruptly white .................................................................…………..................................... L. nasus
1b. Snout shorter, distance from snout tip to eye 2.5 or more times in distance from eye to first
gill opening. Underside of body white [Link] spots and blotches (except possibly in very
small individuals), free rear tip of first dorsal not abruptly white ..........................……….................... L. ditropis
Lamna ditropis Hubbs & Follett, 1947 LAMN Lamn 2
Lamna ditropis Hubbs & Follett, 1947, Copeia, 1947(3):194. Holotype: Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Harvard U., MCZ 36471, adult male. Type Locality: La Jolla, California, depth 92 to 107 m.
Synonymy : None.
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FAO Names : En - Salmon shark; Fr - Requin-taupe saumon; Sp - Marrajo salmon.
Field Marks: Heavy spindle-shaped body, short conical snout, moderately large bladelike teeth with lateral
cusplets, long gill slits, large first dorsal fin with dark free rear tip, minute, pivoting second dorsal and anal fins,
strong keels on caudal peduncle, short secondary keels on caudal base, crescentic caudal fin, dusky blotches on
ventral surface of body.
Diagnostic Features : Snout short, length of snout about 2.7 times in distance from eyes to first gill
opening; first upper lateral teeth with strongly oblique cusps. Colour: first dorsal fin uniformly dark, no light
rear tip; ventral surface of body white with dusky blotches.
Geographical Distribution : Coastal and oceanic. North
Pacific: Japan and the Koreas, Sea of Okhotsk to Bering Sea and
southward to southern California and possibly Baja California,
Mexico.
Habitat and Biology : A common coastal-littoral and epi-
pelagic shark with a preference for boreal to cool temperate waters,
found at depths from the surface to at least 152 m. Salmon sharks
are common in continental offshore waters but range inshore to just
off beaches; they also are abundant far from land in the North
Pacific ocean basin, along with their salmon prey. Salmon sharks
occur singly and in schools or feeding aggregates of several indivi-
duals. They are swift-swimming sharks, maintaining a body tempera-
ture well above ambient water temperature.
This shark is ovoviviparous, with uterine cannibalism; litter
size is up to 4 young.
The salmon shark is a proverbially voracious feeder on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus), though lancetfishes,
daggerteeth (Anotopterus ), lumpfishes, sculpins, Atka mackeral (Pleurogrammus pollock, and tomcod are also
eaten.
The salmon shark has been regarded as potentially dangerous because of its large size and relationship to
known dangerous species, but has never or seldom been implicated in an attack on people. There are a few
unsubstantiated attacks reported for the species, but possibly by confusion with the great white shark. Recently
divers have seen and photographed schools of adult salmon sharks underwater, with no aggressive or threatening
overtures on the part of the sharks (B. Lea, [Link].).
Size : Maximum total length about 305 cm, males maturing between 180 and 240 cm.
Interest to Fisheries : Fished in the North Pacific by Japanese coastal longliners and by sports anglers in
Alaska and Canada using rod and reel. They are commonly caught by Japanese, US and Canadian offshore salmon
gillnetters but are currently discarded. They are occasionally trammel-netted by halibut fishermen off California
and recently have begun to show up in numbers in gillnets set by thresher fishermen in northern-central
California, but are presently not considered as marketable. The bulk of the fish currently caught are considered a
nuisance for the damage they do to salmon nets.
The flesh of the salmon shark is used fresh for human consumption in Japan, where it is processed into
various fish products, and to a lesser extent in Alaska and California. Its oil, skin (for leather), and fins (for shark-
fin soup) are utilized also.
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Literature : Bigelow & Schroeder (1948); Roedel & Ripley (1950); Farquhar (1963); Nakaya (1971); Hart
(1973); Uquuhart (1981); S. Kato & B. Lea, ([Link].).
Remarks : See Nakaya (1971) for a detailed comparison of this species with Lamna nasus. Pillai & Honma
(1978) reported L. ditropis from the southern Indian Ocean, without data confirming the identification.
Presumably the species in question was Lamna nasus, which is known, from the southern Indian Ocean (open sea
from 800 to 965 km, northeastern of Kerguelen Island and from 640 to 800 km SSE of St. Paul Island, unpublished
record by L.J.V. Compagno; also near Kerguelen Island, Duhamel & Ozouf-Costaz, 1982).
Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788) LAMN Lamn 1
Squalus nasus Bonnaterre, 1788, [Link].mé[Link] [Link]., Ichthyol., Paris, 10. Holotype:
Unknown. Type Locality: Probably British waters.
Synonymy : Squalus glaucus Gunnerus, 1758 (not S. glaucus Linnaeus, 1758 = Prionace glauca); Squalus
cornubicus Gmelin, 1789; Squalus pennanti Walbaum, 1792 also Lamna pennanti Desvaux, 1851); Squalus
monensis Shaw, 1804; Squalus cornubiensis Pennant, 1812; Squalus selanonus Walker, in Leach, 1818; Selanonius
walkeri Fleming, 1828; Lamna punctata Storer, 1839; Oxyrhina daekayi Gill, 1862; Lamna philippi Perez Canto,
1886; Lamna whitleyi Phillipps, 1935.
FAO Names : En - Porbeagle; Fr - Requin-taupe commun; Sp - Marrajo sardinero.
rigth upper and lower
nostril teeth from left side
underside of head
Field Marks : Heavy spindle-shaped body, moderately long conical
snout, moderately large bladelike teeth with lateral cusplets, long gill slits,
large first dorsal fin with light free rear tip, minute, pivoting second dorsal
and anal fins, strong keels on caudal peduncle, short secondary keels on
caudal base, crescentic caudal fin, ventral surface of body white.
Diagnostic Features : Snout moderately long, length about 2 times in
distance from eyes to first gill opening; first upper lateral teeth with
cusps erect or nearly so. Colour: first dorsal fin with a conspicuous white
rear tip; ventral surface of body white without dusky blotches. dermal denticles
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Geographical Distribution : Coastal and
oceanic, amphitemperate. Western Atlantic:
Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence to
New Jersey and ? South Carolina (USA); ?
southern Brazil to southern Argentina. Eastern
Atlantic: Iceland and western Barents Sea to
Gibraltar, Mediterranean, Morocco, Madeira,
western Cape Province, South Africa. South
central Indian Ocean. Western South Pacific:
Australia (Western and South Australia,
Tasmania), New Zealand. Eastern South
Pacific: Chile. Subantarctic waters off South
Georgia and Kerguelen Islands.
Habitat and Biology : A common littoral
and epipelagic shark, most abundant on the
continental offshore fishing banks but also
found far from land in ocean basins and occa-
sionally close inshore. This shark prefers cold water, less than 18 ° C, and does not occur in equatorial seas. The
porbeagle is described as active and strong-swimming in pursuit of prey, but when hooked is relatively sluggish and
inactive in comparison to the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), and does not engage in spectacular leaps like that
species.
The porbeagle is found at the surface down to the bottom, singly and in schools and feeding aggregations,
and has been caught at depths down to at least 366 m. Porbeagles may come inshore and to the surface in
summer, but will stay in winteroffshore and beneath the surface. Fisheries catches in Europe indicate that the
porbeagle has populational segregation by size (age) and sex.
Porbeagles breed on both sides of the North Atlantic, off the Atlantic coast of Europe and the British Isles,
where females have embryos during most of the year except July through September, and off North America from
Massachusetts to Maine, where females can be found with young at all times of year. Young are apparently born
in the spring off Europe and late summer off North America. Mating in European waters occurs in late summer,
and breeding there probably occurs every year. Breeding populations presumably exist elsewhere in the range of
this species, but details are lacking.
The porbeagle is ovoviviparous and a uterine cannibal, with litters of 1 to 5 young. The fetuses grow
enormously by feeding on fertilized eggs, and develop grotesquely expanded abdomens and branchial regions. In
European waters the gestation period has been estimated at about 8 months.
The porbeagle may take 5 or more years to reach maturity, and can live to an age of 20 to 30 or more years.
Vertebral rings on this species have been demonstrated to be annual, from correlation with length-frequency data.
Prior to the intensive fishery that greatly reduced the numbers of this shark in European waters, the annual
mortality for the species was an estimated 18% under low human exploitation and probably minimal predation
pressure from other species.
This shark is a voracious feeder on small pelagic schooling fishes, including mackerels, pilchards and herring,
various gadoids including cod, hakes, haddock, cusk, and whiting, and John dories, dogfishies and tope sharks
(Squalus and Galeorhinus), and squids. It is regarded as potentially dangerous to people because of its size and
activity, but has never or very seldom has been indicted in an attack on people or boats (unlike its close relatives
the shortfin mako and great white sharks). An unconfirmed attack by this species as 'mackerel shark' has been
reported, but it could have resulted from confusion with the great white shark.
Size : Maximum total length 300+ cm, possibly to 370 cm but most smaller, adult males at 219 to 262 cm,
adult females 152 to at least 219 cm and possibly to 370 cm; size at birth between 60 and 75 cm.
interest to Fisheries: This species has been heavily fished and utilized in the North Atlantic and the
Mediterranean by a number of countries, including Norway, Denmark, the Faroer Islands, the United Kingdom,
France, previously Spain, with an estimated total of 1530 metric tons landed in 1981 (FAO Yearbook of Fishery
Statistics, 1983). A considerable fishery by Japanese longliners exists in the southern central Indian Ocean. It is
used fresh and dried salted for human consumption; for oil and fishmeal; and for fins for shark-fin soup. The
species is primarily caught with pelagic longlines; also pelagic and bottom trawls, handlines and gillnets. Stocks in
the North Atlantic show signs of serious over-fishing in the form of greatly declining catches (3226 metric tons in
1978, FAO Yearbook of Fishery Statistics, 1983).
Literature : Whitley (1940); Bigelow & Schroeder (1948); Aasen (1963); Farquhar (1963); Garrick & Schultz
(1963); Templeman (1963); Baldridge (1974); Duhamel & Ozouf-Costaz (1982); Stevens (1983).
