Blue shark (Prionace glauca) fish species and Blue shark information

Scientific Name
Prionace glauca

Common Name
Blue shark

Biology
Oceanic, but may be found close inshore where the continental shelf is narrow (Ref. 6871, 58302). Usually found to at least 150 m (Ref. 26938). Reported from estuaries (Ref. 26340). Epipelagic, occasionally occurs in littoral areas (Ref. 58302). Feeds on fishes (herring, silver hake, white hake, red hake, cod, haddock, pollock, mackerel, butterfish, sea raven and flounders (Ref. 5951)), small sharks, squids, pelagic red crabs, cetacean carrion, occasional sea birds and garbage (Ref. 5578). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Sexual dimorphism occurs in skin thickness of maturing and adult females (Ref. 49562). May travel considerable distances (one specimen tagged in New Zealand was recaptured 1,200 km off the coast of Chile) (Ref. 26346). Potentially dangerous to humans (Ref. 6871, 13513). Marketed fresh, dried or salted, and frozen; meat utilized for consumption,

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1758

Class

Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchii)

Order

Ground sharks (Carcharhiniformes)

Family

Requiem sharks (Carcharhinidae)

Distribution

Region

Circumglobal in temperate and tropical waters. Western Atlantic

Distribution

Circumglobal in temperate and tropical waters. Western Atlantic: Newfoundland, Canada to Argentina. Central Atlantic. Eastern Atlantic: Norway to South Africa, including the Mediterranean. Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to Indonesia, Japan, Australia, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of Alaska to Chile. Probably the widest ranging chondrichthyian. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139).

Range

66°N - 55°S, 180°W - 180°E

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

7 °C

Water Temperature To

21 °C

Depth From - meters

1 m

Depth To - meters

350 m

Zone

pelagic-oceanic

Environment

Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 1 - 350 m (Ref. 6871), usually 80 - 220 m (Ref. 55193)

Trophic Level

4.24 s.e. 0.67 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

400 cm

Common Length

335 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 1.0000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes

Vulnerability

High to very high vulnerability (67 of 100)

Resilience

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (rm=0.031; K=0.16; tm=6; tmax=20; Fec=4-135)

Threat To Humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 4690)

IUCN Red List Status

Near Threatened (NT)

Blue shark (Prionace glauca) fish species and information / pictures of Blue shark - Prionace glauca

Blue shark (Prionace glauca) fish species information

Classification

Distribution

Environment

Physical Size and Genetics

Human Uses and Population