Atlantic Shortfin Mako Shark
Atlantic Shortfin Mako Shark
Isurus oxyrinchus
Quick Facts
Mako shark. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Mako shark. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
About the Species
As of July 5, 2022, U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks. Product harvested before that date may be available in the U.S. market.
Population
Significantly below target population levels. An international rebuilding program is in place for the stock.
Fishing Rate
Retention limit of zero in place to end overfishing.
Habitat Impacts
Not applicable - Atlantic shortfin mako sharks cannot be harvested.
Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Population Status
- According to the 2017 stock assessment (and updated projections from 2019), shortfin mako sharks are overfished and subject to overfishing. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
- NOAA Southeast Fishery Science Center staff work with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to assess the status of shortfin mako sharks in the Atlantic.
Appearance
- Shortfin mako sharks have very pointed snouts and long gill slits.
- They have dark blue/gray backs, light metallic blue sides, and white undersides.
- Shortfin mako sharks can be differentiated from longfin mako sharks. Compared to shortfin mako sharks, longfin mako sharks have much longer pectoral fins and larger eyes, a different body shape, and the underside of their snout is darker.
Biology
- Shortfin mako sharks grow slowly, reach up to 13 feet long, and can live to be over 30 years old.
- They are not able to reproduce until about 8 years old (~6 feet) for males and 19 years old (~9 feet) for females. They have a 3-year reproductive cycle and a gestation period of approximately 18 months.
- Mating occurs from summer to fall. Eggs are fertilized internally and develop inside the mother.
- Females bear live pups, which are approximately 2 feet long when born. This large size at birth helps reduce the number of potential predators and enhances the pups’ chance of survival.
- Mean litter size is 12, and up to 30 pups have been reported, though scientists have only examined a handful of litters.
- Shortfin mako sharks are aggressive predators that feed near the top of the food web on marine fishes such as bluefish, swordfish, tuna, marine mammals, and other sharks.
- They have few predators, mainly larger sharks that may prey on smaller shortfin mako sharks.
Where They Live
Range
- Off the East Coast, Atlantic shortfin mako sharks are found from New England to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas, and in the Caribbean Sea.
- They are highly migratory and can travel across entire oceans.
Habitat
- Shortfin mako sharks are a pelagic species. Their habitat ranges widely in the upper zones of the oceans.
- Juveniles are common in coastal waters, from the low-tide line to the edge of the continental shelf. Adults are primarily found offshore.
Fishery Management
- NOAA Fisheries, through the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Division, manage the Atlantic shortfin mako shark fishery in the United States.
-
NOAA Fisheries implemented regulations consistent with new ICCAT requirements adopted in 2021, based on the 2017 stock assessment.
-
U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks.
-
If retention is allowed by ICCAT in the future, NOAA Fisheries could increase the shortfin mako shark retention limit, based on regulatory criteria and the amount of retention allowed by ICCAT. Until that happens, the retention limit will remain at zero.
- Atlantic sharks are managed under the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan:
- Permits are required, and only a limited number of permits are available.
- Commercial quotas and limits on how many sharks can be landed per fishing trip.
- Gear restrictions and requirements.
- Fishing season is generally year-round, but individual commercial shark fisheries close when the quota is reached.
- Shark dealers are required to attend Atlantic shark identification workshops to help them better identify shark species.
- Prohibited species—there are more than 20 species of sharks that cannot be landed (e.g., white, dusky, basking, longfin mako, night). Some of these species look similar to the species that can be landed. The recreational shark identification and the prohibited shark identification placards can help with identification.
- The Shark Conservation Act requires that all sharks, with one exception, be brought to shore with their fins naturally attached.
- Compliance guides are available for all commercial and recreational regulations across Atlantic highly migratory species fisheries.
- Management of highly migratory species, such as mako sharks, is complicated and requires international cooperation.
- A shark that is off the coast of Florida one week could be caught off the coast of Mexico the next. These resources must be managed both in the United States and at the international level.
- The United States negotiates with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations—including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora—to enhance shark management worldwide.
- While U.S. fishermen caught approximately 3 percent of the overall harvest of shortfin mako shark in the North Atlantic in 2020, NOAA Fisheries continues to take action at the international level to end overfishing of this species.
Harvest
- As of July 5, 2022, U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks,
- Off the East Coast, Atlantic shortfin mako sharks are found from New England to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas, and in the Caribbean Sea.
- They are highly migratory and can travel across entire oceans.
- Shortfin mako sharks are a pelagic species. Their habitat ranges widely in the upper zones of the oceans.
- Juveniles are common in coastal waters, from the low-tide line to the edge of the continental shelf. Adults are primarily found offshore.
Fishery Management
- NOAA Fisheries, through the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Division, manage the Atlantic shortfin mako shark fishery in the United States.
-
NOAA Fisheries implemented regulations consistent with new ICCAT requirements adopted in 2021, based on the 2017 stock assessment.
-
U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks.
-
If retention is allowed by ICCAT in the future, NOAA Fisheries could increase the shortfin mako shark retention limit, based on regulatory criteria and the amount of retention allowed by ICCAT. Until that happens, the retention limit will remain at zero.
-
- Atlantic sharks are managed under the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan:
- Permits are required, and only a limited number of permits are available.
- Commercial quotas and limits on how many sharks can be landed per fishing trip.
- Gear restrictions and requirements.
- Fishing season is generally year-round, but individual commercial shark fisheries close when the quota is reached.
- Shark dealers are required to attend Atlantic shark identification workshops to help them better identify shark species.
- Prohibited species—there are more than 20 species of sharks that cannot be landed (e.g., white, dusky, basking, longfin mako, night). Some of these species look similar to the species that can be landed. The recreational shark identification and the prohibited shark identification placards can help with identification.
- The Shark Conservation Act requires that all sharks, with one exception, be brought to shore with their fins naturally attached.
- Compliance guides are available for all commercial and recreational regulations across Atlantic highly migratory species fisheries.
- Management of highly migratory species, such as mako sharks, is complicated and requires international cooperation.
- A shark that is off the coast of Florida one week could be caught off the coast of Mexico the next. These resources must be managed both in the United States and at the international level.
- The United States negotiates with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations—including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora—to enhance shark management worldwide.
- While U.S. fishermen caught approximately 3 percent of the overall harvest of shortfin mako shark in the North Atlantic in 2020, NOAA Fisheries continues to take action at the international level to end overfishing of this species.
Harvest
- As of July 5, 2022, U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks,
Featured News
Two mako sharks swimming. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Seafood Overview
Is Atlantic Shortfin Mako Shark Sustainable?
As of July 5, 2022, U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks. Product harvested before that date may be available in the U.S. market.
Availability
As of July 5, 2022, U.S. fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks. Product harvested before that date may be available in the U.S. market.
Source
U.S. wild-caught Atlantic shortfin mako shark harvested before July 5, 2022 may be available in the U.S. market.
Taste
Slightly sweet, with a full-bodied, meaty flavor.
Texture
Raw meat is soft, and cooked meat is firm.
Color
Fresh raw mako shark is ivory-pink or a muddy reddish color. When cooked it is ivory white.
Health Benefits
Mako sharks arehigh in protein, low in fat, and a good source of niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, phosphorus, and selenium. More information on health and seafood.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 130; Protein: 20.98 g; Total Fat: 4.51 g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.925 g; Carbohydrate: 0 g; Total Sugars: 0 g; Total Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Cholesterol: 51 mg; Selenium: 36.5 mcg; Sodium: 79 mgSeafood News
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Satellite image showing fine sediments and phytoplankton over the shallow nearshore waters and continental shelf of northern Gulf of Alaska, March 13, 2008. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, NASA image by Norman Kuring, MODIS Ocean Color Team