Notes on Irish SharksAuthor(s): R. F. ScharffSource: The Irish Naturalist, Vol. 24, No. 6 (Jun., 1915), pp. 99-100Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25524383 .

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tgis* Scharff.? Notes on Irish Sharks. 99

NOTES ON IRISH SHARKS.

BY R. F. SCHARFF, B.SC, F.Z.S.

I.?The Basking Shark- (Cetorhinus maximus).

The Basking Shark; or Sun-fish, as it is sometimes called, on account of its remaining motionless for a long, time on

the surface of the water, is almost too common a species to be recorded. Not long ago great numbers of them were

harpooned off the west coast of Ireland in order to obtain

the oil contained in the liver of these sharks. The oil

is rather valuable, and one of the Basking Sharks yielded over a hundred gallons of it, which was worth from ?50 to ?100. This fishery has now been abandoned as the fish

have become less abundant. But they are by no means

rare, and I have a note received from Mr. J. Keane, of

Youghal, that two Basking Sharks measuring 22-J- and 23I feet in length were taken in salmon drift-nets towards the

end of May in 1912.

II.?The Six-gilled Shark (Hexanchus griseus, Rafin,).

Until a few years ago no specimen of this Shark was known from the Irish marine area. In September, 1912, Mr. W.

Bindon Scott captured the first undoubted example of > this great shark near Dugort, Achill Island, on an ordinary cod line. It measured 9 feet 4 inches in length, its weight being estimated at from 3 to 5 cwt. Unfortunately this

fish was not preserved, but it was identified by Mr. Scott, and to judge from a photograph he sent me the identification

is perfectly accurate. During the following May another

specimen was secured at the mouth of Kenmare River and

presented to the National Museum of Ireland by the Earl

of Dunraven. This shark measured 7 feet 4 inches. Finally a very young example was procured during the Fisheries5

Survey of the Department's steamer in no fathoms, near

the Bull Rock on the Kerry coast.

The Six-gilled Shark is not only of interest because it

is new to the Irish fauna, it belongs to a group of sharks

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IGO The Irish Naturalist* June,

which retains certain archaic characters found only in the

remains of fishes from older geological deposits. It is essen

tially a Mediterranean species. It may be extending its

range northward, or the incursion into the Atlantic of

this voracious fish may be only in the nature of a temporary raid. The snout is rounded; the eyes large, and there are

six gill slits at the side of the head instead of the usual five.

It grows to a length of about 30 feet, and was once recorded

from Scotland and several times from the south of England.

iii.?centrophorus and scymnodon?two deep-sea

Genera of Sharks in Irish Waters.

The genus Centrophorus includes small sharks

allied to the Piked Dog-fish, and was first recorded

from the Britannic area by Holt and Calderwood. in 1895.1 These peculiarly deep-sea sharks had pre

viously only been known from the coast of Portugal and Japan. A regular deep-sea shark fishery exists in

Portugal, the skin' being used for polishing wood. The

species recorded (Centrophorus squamosus) was taken on

a long line at a depth of 250 fathoms, off the coast of Mayo. Some years later Mr. Holt secured a second specimen hear the Bull Rock in Kerry in no fathoms of water, which

is now in our National Museum ; while no less than nine

were taken by Dr. Schmidt, of Copenhagen, on a long line

off the west coast of Ireland. I am now informed by Prof.

Jensen, of Copenhagen, that Dr. Schmidt secured also a

single specimen of Centrophorus calceus off the west coast

of Ireland. These species had previously been known

from the seas of Portugal. A specimen of the allied genus

Scymnodon was secured by Mr. Holt, off the Tearaght Rock, in between 215-515 fathoms of water, and identified

,by him as Scymnodon ringens, Bocage, which, like Centro

phorus, was known from the seas of Portugal.

1 Holt and Calderwood, Survey of Fishing-grounds, W. Coast of

Ireland, 1890-91, ,Trans. R.D.S. .(2), vol. .v.,. 1895, ; : ^

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