Blue Shark

Up to 12-13 ft, possibly up to 20 ft

Family	Carcharhinidae
Description	Requiem sharks
Environment	Fresh, Brackish & Marine
Etymology	Greek, karcharos, -ou = cutting, sharp and also a kind of shark + Greek, rhinos = nose
Genus	12
No. of Species	59
Order	Carcharhiniformes
Class	Elasmobranchii
Reproductive Guild	Bearers
Distribution	Global. Gill openings 5, the fifth behind origin of pectoral fin. Small to large sharks with round eyes, internal nictitating eyelids, no nasoral grooves or barbels, usually no spiracles. Teeth usually bladelike with one cusp. Development usually viviparous with young born fully developed. Includes several dangerous species, but most prefer to avoid divers.

Vertically migrates between the surface and 1,800 ft during the day and surface and 600 ft at night; near islands remains offshore during summer months, but appears to move closer to shore at twilight in the spring, returning to open ocean before sunrise. Oceanic, but may be found close inshore where the continental shelf is narrow. Usually found to at least 150 m. Reported from estuaries. Epipelagic, occasionally occurs in littoral areas. Feeds on fishes (herring, silver hake, white hake, red hake, cod, haddock, pollock, mackerel, butterfish, sea raven and flounders), small sharks, squids, pelagic red crabs, cetacean carrion, occasional sea birds and garbage. Viviparous. Sexual dimorphism occurs in skin thickness of maturing and adult females. 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. Marketed fresh, dried or salted, and frozen; meat utilized for consumption, hides for leather and fins for soup. Sexually mature at 250 cm long and 4-5 years old. The female gives birth up to 80 young measuring 40 cm long, gestation lasts almost a year. Produces from 4 to 135 young a litter

Bluish gray, large slender shark with pointed snout, long pectoral fins, and anterior. Eats cephalopods, small bony fishes, crustaceans, mammalian carrion. Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0. A slim, graceful blue shark with a long, conical snout, large eyes, and curved triangular upper teeth with saw edges; pectorals long and narrow; no interdorsal ridge. Dark blue dorsally, bright blue on the sides, white ventrally. Tips of pectoral fins and anal fin dusky

Distinct pairing with embrace. Viviparous, placental; 4-63 young in a litter; 4-135 (usually 15-30) pups, about 35-44 cm at birth. Gestation period ranges from 9 to 12 months. Sexual dimorphism is evident in skin thickness of maturing and adult females. Females have thicker skin layer than males of the same size

Summary of 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
Note: Distribution range colors indicate degree of suitability of habitat which can be interpreted as probabilities of occurrence (fishbase.org)

Ocean trolling tackle, in at least the 30-pound line class. Usually will strike rigged baits, such as Mullet and Mackerel, or a live Bonito.