Small shark of cold and temperate waters, with a venomous spine in front of each dorsal fin. Heavily fished worldwide, it is Vulnerable (IUCN). In Buenos Aires, up to 10 per day in mixed fishing; beyond that, release is mandatory.
The spiny dogfish (galludo, in Argentina and Uruguay) is possibly the most abundant shark in the world, found in boreal and temperate waters. It lives close to the bottom of the shelf and upper slope, usually between 50 and 300 m and down to almost 2,000 m; adults occur mostly between 10 and 200 m, and the species tolerates brackish water and enters bays and estuaries. It forms large schools, separated by size and sex, and migrates following the temperature it prefers, 7 to 15 °C. It grows slowly and can live 75 years; gestation lasts 18 to 24 months, the longest of any cartilaginous fish, with 1 to 21 pups. Commercial fishing has reduced many populations, and IUCN classifies it as Vulnerable (2019). In Brazil, records are few and poorly confirmed.
fun facts
Gestation, 18 to 24 months, is the longest known among cartilaginous fishes (FishBase).
It can exceed 70 years: FishBase records a maximum age of 75 years, although most live 20 to 24 years in the North Atlantic.
Pregnant females gather in shallow, enclosed bays to give birth (FishBase).
how to recognize it
identification
Small, very slender shark with no anal fin and two small dorsal fins, each with a spine in front. Blue-grey above with irregular white spots on the flanks, white below; the caudal fin is pale, with a whitish margin and a dark mark at the tip of the upper lobe. The spines are venomous (FishBase): never hold the animal by the front of the dorsal fin. Other similar Squalus occur on the South American coast (S. megalops and S. blainville are on this list), and the genus taxonomy in the southwestern Atlantic has been revised: safe identification requires a specialist.
how piked dogfish fishing looks
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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.
Circumglobal in boreal and temperate waters, except the North Pacific, where records are of S. suckleyi (FishBase). In Latin America, fishing is concentrated in Argentina and Uruguay, in the Atlantic, and in Chile, in the Pacific. FishBase also lists Brazil, the Bahamas, Cuba and Mexico, but the species lives in temperate and cold waters (7 to 15 °C), so those records call for caution: in Brazil, the only one we found is from Praia Grande (SP).
Habitat: Shelf and upper slope bottom, 0 to nearly 2,000 m, usually between 50 and 300 m; adults mostly between 10 and 200 m. Enters bays and brackish estuaries and can be seen in midwater and at the surface.
coast
Southeast CoastSouth Coastcoastalshelf
calendar and clock
when to fish
best season
time of yearbest: Jun–Sep
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Estimate based on its thermal preference of 7 to 15 °C (FishBase): in the South Atlantic and South Pacific, animals tend to move closer to the coast in cold months (June to September) and move to deeper waters in summer. There is no official season; in Buenos Aires the mixed fishing rule applies.
best time of day
Any time. Its daily rhythm is poorly documented; it stays near the bottom but also uses midwater and the surface (FishBase).
weather, water and behavior
what affects the piked dogfish
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Cold-water species: a drop in temperature brings it closer to shore, and warm water pushes it away (FishBase: movements linked to preferred temperature).
atmospheric pressure
Not well known.
moon
Not well known.
rain
Not very relevant.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Not well known.
wind
Rough seas prevent surf fishing and fishing from small boats.
tide
Little is known; in bays and estuaries, tidal movement changes where it feeds (estimate).
depth
From 0 to 1,978 m, usually 50 to 300 m; adults 10 to 200 m (FishBase).
beach: 12' to 14' for a 100 to 150 g sinker; boat: 6' to 7', 15 to 30 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel
5000 to 7000 spinning reel
line
monofilament 0.35 to 0.45 mm
leader
0.60 mm monofilament, up to 3 single hooks per rod (mixed-fishing rule in Buenos Aires)
hook
circle hook 2/0 to 4/0, preferably barbless
natural baits
fish fillet or steak
lula
shrimp
accessories
thick gloves
long-handled hook remover
cutting pliers
tip from an angler
The spine on each dorsal fin is venomous: don't grab the animal by the back and keep your hands away from the front of the dorsal fins. Use gloves and a long dehooker. In Argentina, above 10 per day, release is mandatory.
what the law says
rules for the piked dogfish
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 (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026). Global: Vulnerable (VU, A2bd), assessed on Nov 21, 2019 (IUCN, via FishBase). FishBase reports that it is in CMS Appendix II (migratory species) and that it has not been assessed by CITES.
Finning prohibited: shark only whole, with its fins
fins naturally attached to the body
Finning is banned in Brazil (catching sharks and rays and keeping only the fins, discarding the rest of the body). The rule covers landing, transport and trade by fishing vessels: every shark or ray must arrive with its fins naturally attached to the body (partial cutting to fold them against the body is allowed); it is forbidden to carry on board an animal without fins or with loose fins, and to transfer sharks and rays between vessels. The species is not on the national list of threatened species (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026).
Buenos Aires (AR): spiny dogfish, up to 10 per day if killed
up to 10 per angler per day; the rest released
In recreational sea fishing in Buenos Aires province, "mixed fishing" allows 40 pieces per angler per day, except for gatuzo and spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), of each of which only up to 10 specimens may be kept if killed; beyond that, release is mandatory, and the angler may keep fishing for the other species in the mixed category. No more than three single hooks per rod (Disposición 78/2014, art. 1, which rewrites art. 9 of Disposición 217/2007). Also in force: up to two rods per person, no "robadores" treble hooks or gaffs (art. 7), a provincial sport fishing license (art. 21), and a ban on selling the catch (art. 24). The limits apply to the Buenos Aires maritime coast, the Río de la Plata estuary, Bahía Blanca, the Mar Chiquita lagoon and the mouths of rivers and channels along the coast.
1 specimen per angler per day (counts as 5 against the quota of 10)
In recreational sport fishing in Mexican marine waters, the shark limit is one specimen per angler per day, which counts as five toward the total limit of ten fish (no more than five of the same species). Specimens beyond the quota may only be released alive, in good survival condition (catch and release), and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Sport fishing is also not allowed in closed zones and seasons or in protected natural areas without the proper permits. In NOM-029 the species appears as "cazón espinoso, perro espinoso" on the Pacific list.
Mexico: NOM-029-PESC-2006 regulates commercial shark and ray fishing
NOM-029 is the rule for shark and ray fishing at commercial scale: it applies to holders of permits for directed fishing of these animals and to those who catch them by chance (section 1.2), and covers commercial fishing vessels (section 4.2.1); sport fishing has its own rule, NOM-017. It prohibits keeping only the fins of sharks (section 4.2.1) and provides closed seasons and closed zones, set by notice in the DOF, for directed fishing (sections 4.2.3 and 4.3.4: no directed fishing during closed seasons, within 5 km of coral reefs, in front of river mouths and lagoons, in front of turtle nesting beaches, and near sea lion colonies). The species is listed in Normative Appendix A, on the Pacific shark list ("cazón espinoso, perro espinoso"; in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea the rule lists other Squalus, the "cazón bagre").
Mexico: annual closed seasons for sharks and rays (check the dates for the year)
confirm with the agency
NOM-017 (item 4.10 a) prohibits recreational fishing in closed zones and seasons, and NOM-029 (item 4.2.3) requires the authority to set closed seasons for sharks and rays by notice in the DOF; the dates change and vary by coast. On Aug 1, 2025, the Secretaría de Agricultura and Conapesca announced, for the Pacific coast, the use of sharks and rays from August 1 to April 30 (May to July are excluded, our interpretation from the announcement) and, in Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatán, a closed season from August 1 to 29. We did not find the official notice in force in 2026: confirm the dates with Conapesca before fishing.
Bahamas: sharks protected since 2011, release them all
shark fishing not permitted; a shark hooked must be released unharmedconfirm with the agency
The official fishing guide of the Bahamas states that shark fishing is not allowed, that sharks have been protected since a 2011 amendment, that they may only be taken under special permits for very specific purposes, and that a shark hooked in any fishing must be released unharmed. The page does not cite the number of the rule.
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Where release is mandatory (above 10 per day in Buenos Aires), let it go quickly: hold it by the body, wearing gloves, away from the dorsal spines, and put it back in the water. Because it grows slowly and takes up to two years to gestate, each female released makes a difference.
in the kitchen
FishBase records commercial fishing in many countries. In Buenos Aires sport fishing, the meat may be taken up to the limit of 10 per day, with no sale of the catch.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00288, b = 3.07; 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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sources and references
The seasonal weights (months), the time of day, the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise), the water temperature range and the common size range are the app's editorial estimates, supported by FishBase and by the literature cited below, with no measurements of our own for this species. The months show when an angler may find the species near the coast, not a catch season. They are not official data and may vary by region and year. Legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
officialPortaria GM/MMA nº 1.666, de 27 de abril de 2026: regras e restrições para as espécies ameaçadas da lista nacionalArt. 3: full protection for EW, CR, EN, and VU species (catching, transporting, storing, holding, handling, processing, and trading are banned); § 4: the restriction does not apply to incidental catch when the animal is released alive; art. 12: for species added to the list by a new ordinance, the art. 3 bans start 180 days after publication. Text checked in the DOU on Oct 13, 2026.
officialMéxico: NOM-029-PESC-2006, pesca responsável de tubarões e raias (DOF de 14/02/2007)Copy of the text published in the DOF, on the standardization platform of the Secretaría de Economía. Items 1.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.3, and 4.3.4 and Normative Appendix A checked on Oct 13, 2026. The standard was written for commercial fishing; recreational fishing has its own standard, NOM-017.
scientificAgência FAPESP: Estudo descreve quatro novas espécies de tubarão (19/08/2016)News item about the article by Viana, Carvalho and Gomes in Zootaxa (2016). It describes four new Squalus species from Brazil (S. albicaudus, S. bahiensis, S. lobularis and S. quasimodo), which live from the shelf edge down into deeper water, and says that several sharks caught in Brazil did not fully match the Squalus they had been assigned to. The news item does not mention S. acanthias; we only use the information that the genus taxonomy in the southwestern Atlantic has been revised.
