White spotted smooth-hound shark
Mustelus palumbes
White spotted smooth-hound sharks (Mustelus palumbes) are endemic species that give birth to live young making them moderately vulnerable to fishing pressure. Limited data are available on their biology and no stock assessments have been conducted. White spotted smooth-hound sharks are caught as bycatch in the inshore trawl fishery for hake (MSC certified) and sole. Often misidentified as common smooth hound shark ( mustulus mustulus).
2. How was it caught or farmed?White spotted smooth-hound sharks are caught as bycatch using trawl nets that are dragged along the seabed at depths up to the 110 m isobath or 20 nautical miles from the coast. This type of trawling is known to damage the seabed; however the extent and impact of damage remains unknown. Trawling is not a very selective fishing method and a number of other species are often caught in the nets (fish, sharks and rays). Substantial effort has been made to reduce seabird deaths through the use of tori lines (bird-scaring lines) and work is underway to better understand impacts on endangered, threatened or protected species.
3. Where is it from?White spotted smooth-hound sharks are caught mainly on the Agulhas Bank off the South Coast. Management measures are considered to be largely effective and mainly focused on the target species (hake and sole) in the form of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and permit limitations. Additional measures in place include precautionary catch limits and fishing only in historical fishing grounds. More effort is required to improve at-sea scientific observation of fishing activities to better understand ecosystem impacts.
