New shark species added to Bermuda’s fish fauna

A new species of shark, the Ragged-tooth shark (also known as the Small tooth sand tiger and, scientifically, as Odontaspis ferox), has now been officially added to list of fishes found in Bermuda waters. As often happens, the first encounter with this species was at the end of a fishing line.

A commercial fishing vessel, captained by Mark Terceira, was fishing in 731 metres (2,400 feet!) of wateroff the east end of the island on the 19th of August, 2020, using deep set vertical lines to target deep-dwelling species such as Wreckfish. The shark did not actually take the bait, but one of the hooks snagged in its dorsal fin. Mr Terceira brought the shark to the surface alongside the vessel, and snapped a few photos before releasing the shark alive. He estimated the total length of the shark to be about 275 cm (9 feet).

Continue reading in the autumn issue of Envirotalk (Fall 2022, Volume 86 No. 3):

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Source: Government of Bermuda