Observations on spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) captured in late spring in a North Carolina estuary [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/4dj]

• Published in: F1000Research
• Main Authors: Charles Bangley, Roger Rulifson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: F1000 Research Ltd 2014
• Subjects: Marine & Freshwater Ecology; Population Ecology; Medicine; R; Science; Q; Northwest Atlantic; spiny dogfish; Squalus acanthias
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.4890.2; https://doaj.org/article/56216745dd9a42d79b46d3d9ee80d95a

Five spiny dogfish were captured in early-mid May during gillnet and longline sampling targeting juvenile coastal sharks in inshore North Carolina waters. Dogfish captures were made within Back Sound and Core Sound, North Carolina. All dogfish were females measuring 849-905 mm total length, well over the size at 50% maturity. Dogfish were caught at stations 1.8-2.7 m in depth, with temperatures 22.9-24.2 °C, 32.8-33.4 ppt salinity, and 6.9-8.0 mg/L dissolved oxygen. These observations are among the latest in the spring for spiny dogfish in the southeastern U.S. and occurred at higher temperatures than previously recorded for this species. It is unclear whether late-occurring spiny dogfish in this area represent a cryptic late-migrating or resident segment of the Northwest Atlantic population.