Dogfish

dogfish a name given in a loose way to many of the smaller species of shark in many different languages. Why? The question is perplexing, all the more so since the doggy theme not only crosses species and genus boundaries (thus Squalus acanthias is ‘spur dog’ and Mustelus mustelus is ‘smooth hound’) but also extends into terms descriptive of lifestyle (newly born spur dogs are called a ‘litter’ of ‘pups’). Another puzzle, dealt with separately, is the English vernacular name huss.

This system of names does not extend to larger sharks, except for the porbeagle (Lamna nasus). The species to which it applies are those which have a maximum length of anything from 60 cm (2') to twice that. Most of them have tough, rough, sandpapery skins (which in some instances are used in place of sandpaper for smoothing). They are regarded as a nuisance by fishermen in N. America, and sometimes so in Europe; but on the whole they are seen by Europeans—and indeed everywhere except N. America—as a marketable commodity. Whereas special techniques are needed for catching large sharks such as the porbeagle, dogfish come up frequently in trawls along with other fish.