Blacknose Shark
Blacknose Shark
Carcharhinus acronotus
Quick Facts
Lateral view of a blacknose sharks head showing the dusky blotch on the nose.
Lateral view of a blacknose sharks head showing the dusky blotch on the nose.
About the Species
Blacknose sharks get their name from the black or dusky blotch on the tip of their snout. The spot is most noticeable in juveniles and often fades in adulthood. They are primarily found in the warm coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
NOAA Fisheries manages blacknose sharks as two separate stocks: one in the Atlantic and one in the Gulf of America* (formerly Gulf of Mexico).
Population
The Atlantic stock is overfished, but the fishing rate established under a rebuilding plan promotes population growth. The population status in the Gulf of America is unknown, but management measures are in place.
Fishing Rate
In the Atlantic, the fishing rate is reduced to end overfishing. In the Gulf of America, the overfishing status is unknown, but management measures are in place.
Habitat Impact
Fishing gears used to harvest blacknose sharks have minimal impacts on habitat.
Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Population Status
There are two stocks of blacknose shark: The Atlantic stock and the Gulf of America stock. According to the most recent stock assessments:
- The Atlantic stock is overfished and subject to overfishing (2011 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
- The overfishing and overfished status of the Gulf of America stock is unknown (2011 stock assessment) because the stock assessment was not suitable for supporting stock status. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
Appearance
Blacknose sharks are relatively slender, with greenish or yellowish-gray bodies and paler bellies. Their first dorsal fin is small and sits over or behind the tips of the pectoral fins.
Biology
Blacknose sharks live up to 20 years. Females grow slower, live longer, and reach a larger size than males. Additionally, both sexes grow more slowly in the Gulf of America than in the Atlantic.
The average age of maturity in the Atlantic is 4.5 years for females and 4.3 years for males. In the Gulf of America, the average female reaches maturity at 6.6 years old while the average age of maturity for males is 5.4 years.
In both the Atlantic and Gulf of America, blacknose sharks mate in early summer and have a roughly 10-month gestation period. Females give birth to as many as eight pups in nearshore nurseries.
Blacknose sharks are quick-swimming predators that primarily feed on small, bony fish. They are known to form schools and sometimes associate with schooling mullet or anchovies.
Where They Live
Range
Blacknose sharks are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to southern Brazil. Their range includes the Gulf of America and Caribbean Sea.
Habitat
Blacknose sharks live in coastal waters over sandy, shell, or coral bottoms. Juveniles typically live in shallower areas while adults prefer depths of 59 to 210 feet.
Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries manages blacknose sharks in federal waters under the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan. Commercial, recreational, and for-hire fishermen must comply with permit requirements, trip limits, gear restrictions, finning prohibitions, closed areas, and reporting requirements to land blacknose sharks. A rebuilding plan was implemented for the South Atlantic stock in 2013 with the goal of rebuilding the stock by 2043.
Blacknose sharks can only be sold to federally permitted shark dealers. Shark dealers are required to attend Atlantic shark identification workshops to help them better identify shark species.
*Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Jan. 20, 2025), directs that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. Gulf of America references in this website refer to the same area as the Gulf of Mexico in the applicable regulations under 50 CFR parts 216–219, 222–226, and 600–699. The name change did not result in any changes to, and had no effect on the applicability or enforceability of, any existing regulations. This website continues to use “Gulf of Mexico” when quoting statutes, existing regulations, or previously published materials.
Scientific Classification
Blacknose sharks are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to southern Brazil. Their range includes the Gulf of America and Caribbean Sea.
Blacknose sharks live in coastal waters over sandy, shell, or coral bottoms. Juveniles typically live in shallower areas while adults prefer depths of 59 to 210 feet.
Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries manages blacknose sharks in federal waters under the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan. Commercial, recreational, and for-hire fishermen must comply with permit requirements, trip limits, gear restrictions, finning prohibitions, closed areas, and reporting requirements to land blacknose sharks. A rebuilding plan was implemented for the South Atlantic stock in 2013 with the goal of rebuilding the stock by 2043.
Blacknose sharks can only be sold to federally permitted shark dealers. Shark dealers are required to attend Atlantic shark identification workshops to help them better identify shark species.
*Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Jan. 20, 2025), directs that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. Gulf of America references in this website refer to the same area as the Gulf of Mexico in the applicable regulations under 50 CFR parts 216–219, 222–226, and 600–699. The name change did not result in any changes to, and had no effect on the applicability or enforceability of, any existing regulations. This website continues to use “Gulf of Mexico” when quoting statutes, existing regulations, or previously published materials.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Chondrichthyes | Order | Carcharhiniformes | Family | Carcharhinidae | Genus | Carcharhinus | Species | acronotus |
|---|
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Seafood Facts
Is Blacknose Shark Sustainable?
U.S. wild-caught blacknose shark is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Availability
Year-round.
Source
U.S. wild-caught from North Carolina through the east coast of Florida.
Taste
Sweet, meaty taste.
Texture
Thick, large flakes and moist flesh.
Color
Raw meat is white to tan with a pink blood line.
Health Benefits
Shark is a low-fat source of protein and is high in selenium and vitamins B6 and B12.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 130; Protein: 20.98 g; Total Fat: 4.51g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.925g; 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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Science Overview
NOAA Fisheries conducts shark research from New England and the Mid-Atlantic to the South Atlantic and Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), studying shark life history and performing long-term monitoring activities essential for stock assessment and management.
For detailed information about stock status, management, assessments, and resource trends, you can search for blacknose sharks, and any other species of interest, using NOAA's Stock SMART web tool.
Tagging and Tracking Blacknose Sharks
NOAA Fisheries runs the Cooperative Shark Tagging Program to study the life history of Atlantic sharks. Started in 1962, the program involves thousands of recreational and commercial fishermen, scientists, and fisheries observers. Participants tag large coastal and pelagic sharks and record information about the shark, such as the date and location where it was caught, the gear used, and the size and sex of the shark.
Shark Pupping and Nursery Surveys
We manage several surveys along the East Coast and in the Gulf of America focused on shark nursery habitats in estuaries and nearshore water. The goals of these programs are to identify shark nursery habitat and determine and monitor species composition, habitat use, abundance, and distribution of sharks while they are present in these critical habitats.
The Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery Surveys are five annual surveys conducted from Delaware to Florida by federal agencies, state agencies and universities. The COASTSPAN program is overseen by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
More information about the COASTSPAN program
The Southeast Fisheries Science Center also oversees a pupping and nursery survey known as GULFSPAN. The project is made up of four annual surveys conducted from Florida to Mississippi.
