Porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus)
This seasonally migratory species has a stocky body and short snout. Porbeagles are found around the world, but adjacent populations appear to be distinct. This species prefers colder waters and is, in fact, endothermic.
The porbeagle shark is caught as a target and bycatch species in commercial fisheries for its high-value meat. Directed longline fisheries seriously depleted the northeast Atlantic population and less than one percent of the Mediterranean population remains from a century ago. The species is caught with gillnets, driftnets and pelagic and bottom trawls. Although the porbeagle shark is listed on many conservation instruments, its status remains “Critically Endangered” in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.
Through our efforts on international fisheries, Oceana works to prevent the unsustainable fishing for and the finning of porbeagle sharks.
