All About Pacific Spiny Dogfish - Shark and Ray Awareness Day

Dogfish are small, bottom-dwelling sharks that live along the northern Pacific and Atlantic coasts. They are able to travel long distances, and their habitat can range from dark depths of 3,000 feet to shallower waters receiving ample sunlight. Dogfish can live for over 40 years, and in the Pacific they have even been known to live as long as 70 years.
Swimming in schools: Dogfish often hunt in schools. These schools can have up to 1,000 dogfish. Because of their relatively small size, dogfish usually eat small fish, as well as jellyfish, clams, krill, octopus and squid.
A venomous shark: Like all sharks, dogfish have skin that is covered in tooth-like scales called denticles. But unlike most sharks, dogfish are also venomous. They have two spines, one in front of each dorsal fin, that secrete a mild venom. These sharp spines serve as a defense mechanism against the dogfish's predators, such as sixgill sharks and seals.
How to help dogfish: Dogfish are keystone predators, and ecologically important in their niche. Like many sharks, they have been historically misunderstood, as well as overfished. Currently, some of their populations are threatened due to a conflux of factors, including their natural predators, a lack of prey, and their popularity as seafood in Europe. One key factor to their threatened status is the fuzzy picture we have of their life cycle: specifically, how long it takes for them to become mature, how many times they can reproduce, and how long they live-all factors critical to setting up a sustainable fisheries management system. And, of course, like all ocean life, dogfish are adversely affected by pollution. Keeping our ocean clean will help dogfish survive.
For more Shark and Ray Awareness Day videos, visit the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Facebook page: / 230989362203649
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[@seattleaquarium]

Play Animals Have the Wildest Names and guess if a shark is real, or fake, with our cartoon shark that makes a guest appearance in this video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJKyhqiVn5WrmMU

[@maddiek1314]

Saw my first spiny dogfish diving the other day! So cool!

[@Causeitsallthisgood]

A really cool animal!

[@brutusisadog]

I accidentally pulled an adult pacific dogfish up in a crab trap yesterday! Beautiful animals, it was about 30 inches long.

[@Project_Algiz]

What absolutely disgusts me is how I hear fellow fishermen here in Alaska talk about how they just kill these fish and throw them back simply because they "compete with halibut". Fishing licenses should be harder to get.

[@zcheran]

finally, a video that isn't cooking em. spiny dogfish are my fav sharks ever!!

[@PatTheFox]

Yea it irritates me that people eat stuff like sharks or octopuses

[@catchingfishbc]

Love to fish for these sharks they and I love hearing more about them!

[@rachmanabdullah2351]

spiny dogfish shak is often found in eastern Indonesia, 30 years ago there was a catch for its oil

[@jasonstimson6617]

Love catching these

[@Sh4rkb0yy]

Please don’t fish them!! They are endangered :( (If this is not what you meant I am sorry for misunderstanding)

[@ShkelqimBejko-dd9xi]

Wow 😲...

[@deltalima6703]

Wondered about the name. Seals look a lot more like dogs than these things. :)

[@mistervacation23]

I hope it ain't got fleas

[@VicariousReality7]

Yeeeem

[@tooth_picc3032]

I hope it ain’t got fleas