Area restrictions
Do not take in shark refuge areas.
Rules
The dorsal and pectoral fins must remain attached to all shark until they are landed.
Habitat
Whitespotted dogfish are found on sandy bottom all around Tasmania from 1-600 metres depth.
Fishing Information
These small sharks are sometimes found in large numbers in the recreational rod and line fishery for flathead in Bass Strait but are not normally retained due to their small size and coarse eating quality. Fishers are advised to catch and release this species even when there appear to be large numbers of them.
Handling
Dogfish have two sharp spines on their dorsal fins and fishers need to take care when handling. Fishers may confuse this species with a gummy shark at first, only to be stung by the spine barbs when attempting to release the hook.
Cooking
Produces small, white, coarse fillets that are not widely popular in Tasmania.