Pacific Spiny Dogfish

About the Species

U.S. wild-caught Pacific spiny dogfish is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Status

• According to the 2011 stock assessment, Pacific spiny dogfish on the West Coast are not overfished, and the complex (“other fish complex”) they are managed under is not subject to overfishing.
• In the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska, spiny dogfish are managed and assessed as part of shark complexes. These complexes were last assessed in 2016, but data are insufficient to determine whether the complexes are overfished. However, overfishing is not occurring for either complex and there are currently no directed fisheries for spiny dogfish in Alaska.

Appearance

• Spiny dogfish are slim with a narrow, pointed snout and distinctive white spots.
• Their bodies are gray above and white below.
• True to their name, they have sharp spines in front of each of their two dorsal fins.

Biology

• Spiny dogfish live a long time, sometimes more than 80 years.
• They grow slowly, up to more than 4 feet and 22 pounds, although adults are generally 2½ to 3½ feet long.
• Spiny dogfish aren’t able to reproduce until they’re older – females mature at an average age of 35, males mature at an average age of 19.
• Female spiny dogfish are internally fertilized, and pups are retained in utero for 18 to 22 months. Depending on their size, female spiny dogfish can have up to 22 pups each reproductive cycle.
• Females generally release their young during the fall in shallow bays.
• The newborn pups range in length from 8½ to 12 inches.
• Spiny dogfish are opportunistic feeders, eating whatever prey is available. They mainly eat small, schooling pelagic fish such as herring, and small invertebrates such as shrimp, crab, and squid.
• They are preyed upon by larger species of shark, including larger spiny dogfish, and by larger fishes (such as cod and hake), seals, and killer whales.

Where They Live

• Pacific spiny dogfish are found from the Bering Sea to Baja California.
• They are more common off the U.S. West Coast and British Columbia than in the Gulf of Alaska or the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region.

Management

• NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage Pacific spiny dogfish on the West Coast.
• Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Part of the “other fish complex” that includes all of the non-flatfish or rockfish species managed under the groundfish fishery management plan, which is not assessed.
  • Managers set acceptable catch limits for the complex and limit the amount of spiny dogfish fishermen can harvest per fishing trip.
  • Harvests are carefully monitored in commercial fisheries through the West Coast Observer Program and landing reports.
  • Coastwide, depth-based closed areas designed to protect overfished groundfish species.
• NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage Pacific spiny dogfish in Alaska. 
• Managed under the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fishery Management Plan and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Part of the shark complex.
  • Managers set a total allowable catch for stock complexes every year, based on annual stock assessments.
  • Catch limits for the complex are the sum of the recommended limits for each species in the complex.