Shark news - Gulper shark specimen caught off the coast of Norway

A specimen of the little gulper shark (Centrophorus uyato) has been caught in the eastern North Atlantic, off the coast of Norway. This represents the northernmost example of this shark species, which previously had only been reported as far north as Portugal.

The specimen was caught on longlines set by a commercial fishing vessel and has been deposited at the University Museum of Bergen. Owing to the fact that most sharks are poikilothermic (have no way of regulating their internal body temperature) there are very few examples of sharks inhabiting the polar regions. The blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastromus), the velvet belly (Etmopterus spinax) and the greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) are the only other 3 species commonly encountered this far north.

The little gulper shark inhabits water up to 1,400 m in depth and feeds on bony fish and squid. Very little is known about the biology of this shark and the taxonomy is in need of revision. In the IUCN Red List, there are 12 species of gulper shark listed of which 3 are considered Vulnerable, 2 Near Threatened, 1 Endangered, 5 Data Deficient and only 1 Least Concern.  

Whilst this is the first confirmed sighting of this species this far north, it is not yet known if this is simply a stray individual or an indication of the expansion of this species into colder waters. 

References

Link to the paper