Blackmouth Catshark - Human Interactions

Human Interactions

Harmless to humans and of little economic value, the blackmouth catshark is caught incidentally in large numbers by commercial bottom trawl and longline fisheries. In particular, it is among the most commonly bycaught sharks in trawls targeting deepwater lobsters and shrimps (Nephrops norvegicus, Parapenaeus longirostris, Aristeus antennatus, and Aristaeomorpha folicea), operating off Portugal and in the Mediterranean. Most captured sharks are discarded, probably with heavy mortality. Some fisheries, such as those off Portugal and Italy, retain and utilize a small subset of the largest individuals for human consumption fresh or dried and salted, and for leather; the fishing fleet of Viareggio, Tuscany reported landing 700 kg (1,500 lb) in 2005. In the northeastern Atlantic, this shark is being increasingly targeted by fishers following the decline of other deepwater shark species.

Off Corsica, Sicily, and southern Portugal, and in the Ionian, southern Adriatic, and Aegean Seas, most of the blackmouth catsharks captured are immature, suggesting there has been a negative impact of fishing pressure. However, the species remains extremely abundant in a number of areas, and survey and fishery data have not shown any evidence of overall population decline. The wide range of depths it occupies likely afford it some protection against fishing, particularly given a 2005 ban on trawling deeper than 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the blackmouth catshark under Least Concern. In the waters of the European Commission, fishing for this species is managed as part of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for deepwater sharks.