| ≥1 piece |
"Squalus Acanthias", a predatory sandshark also known as spiny dogfish, is caught all along the East Coast of North America from May to January, mostly by gillnet day boats. "Mustelus canis" or smooth dogfish is landed in the southern states of Virginia and North Carolina during the spring months and headed and gutted at sea. Spiny dogfish, until recently considered a fishery under pressure, has been regulated for a number of years, but the biomass has now recovered sufficiently for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to allow an increase in the TAC quota to 3,600 mt beginning May 1, 2008. Seatrade remains one of the major exporters of this product which is packed both fresh and frozen as dogfish backs and fillets for shipment overseas; the bellyflaps as well as the fins and tails of the fish are also an export item.