Mustelus higmani
Small smooth-hound shark from the western Atlantic, from the coast of Venezuela to Brazil, on mud and sand bottoms. It is threatened worldwide and is caught by commercial fishing.
Also called: cação-de-olho-pequeno, viuda, musola amarilla, smalleye smooth-hound
The small-eye smooth-hound belongs to the family Triakidae and reaches 77.4 cm and 1.6 kg. It lives on the continental shelf, on mud, sand and limestone bottoms, and also enters shallow brackish water. It feeds mainly on crustaceans and, sometimes, on bony fish, squid and cnidarians. It is viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta, and has 1 to 7 pups per litter. In catches there are often more adults of one sex only, which suggests partial sex segregation. Its meat is used for human consumption.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the smalleye smooth-hound; in the meantime, see the similar species.
Slender smooth-hound shark with no spines on the dorsal fins, of the smooth-hound family. The location helps identify it: mud and sand bottoms of the shelf, often near estuaries and brackish waters. To separate it from the spotted smooth-hound, Mustelus schmitti, which lives farther south, note the area of occurrence.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
Occurs in the western Atlantic, from the northern coast of Venezuela to Brazil, including the Guianas and Trinidad and Tobago.
Habitat: Continental shelf, on mud, sand and limestone bottoms, and in shallow brackish water.
coast
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
Many sharks and rays are on the national list (CR, EN or VU), with catching, keeping and transport prohibited, including those listed here. Species added to the list only in 2026 follow the 180-day deadline (until about Oct 25, 2026). If unsure of the species, release it.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3º) and nº 1.667/2026 (Annex I)
Shark with no danger to whoever catches it. Hold it with care and release it with minimal handling, since the species is threatened worldwide.
Its meat is used for human consumption.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00158, b = 3.14; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
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