Longnose velvet dogfish

How it lives

It lives on or close to the bottom of continental and island slopes, and on seamounts. FishBase gives 230 to 1,500 m, and in the Rockall Trough it is most common deeper than 900 m. It is black or blackish brown, with a very long snout. It is live-bearing, with 1 to 9 embryos, and no defined breeding season. The breeding cycle is probably at least two years. In the Rockall Trough, males mature at about 57 cm (about 9 years) and females at about 75 cm (about 20 years). One unvalidated estimate suggests it may live to 54 years.

Where it goes

Little is known about its movements. It lives on or near the seabed on continental and island slopes, with a wide but patchy range in the eastern Atlantic, the Indo-Pacific and off northern Chile. The sources I opened describe no migration and report no tracking data.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

IUCN assessed the species as Near Threatened in November 2019. Globally the population is decreasing, with a reduction of 20 to 29 percent estimated over the last three generation lengths. In Scotland and the wider north-east Atlantic it is increasing after declines recorded between 1998 and 2013, and the regional European status is Least Concern (2014). There is no targeted fishery. Europe has had a zero catch limit since 2010 and has prohibited the species in all European waters since 2021. Fish caught by accident have a high chance of dying after release. Much of the population lives deeper than deep-water fisheries reach in the north-east Atlantic. In New Zealand it is classed Not Threatened.