| Blue Shark | |
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Family: |
Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks) |
Genus and Species: |
Prionace glauca |
Description: |
The body of the blue shark is elongate and slender. Its head is slender and the snout is long and pointed. The color is blue or light bluish gray above and white below. This species has up to three rows of functional teeth in each jaw and there are 14 or 15 serrated teeth in each side of each jaw. The pectoral fins are long and sickle shaped. |
Range: |
The blue shark occurs worldwide. In the eastern Pacific, blue sharks are found from Chile to the Gulf of Alaska, but not in the tropics. It is common off southern California most of the year, but during warm water periods occurs much further north. |
Natural History: |
Blue sharks do not mature until they attain a length of 7 or 8 feet. Of several thousand blue sharks taken on longline gear, the smallest female was 7 feet long. A female weighing 95 pounds and 7 feet 7 inches long, contained 26 apparently fully developed young ranging in length from 15.5 to 17.75 inches. As many as 54 young have been counted in a single adult female captured in the Mediterranean Sea. |
Fishing Information: |
Most are taken incidentally by albacore or rockfish anglers. Should you wish to specifically fish for blue sharks, they are easily taken once located. Either casting a bait at a previously located fish or chumming in an area known to be inhabited by blue sharks will usually produce results. Dead fish or squid make excellent bait, and ground up anchovies make good chum. Blue sharks tend to "roll up" on the line, so it is necessary to use a long wire leader to avoid cutting the line on the shark's skin. The blue shark is not considered a man-eater, but is probably responsible for many attacks upon injured swimmers, after boating, airplane, and other accidents at sea. It should be considered dangerous because of its numerical abundance and attraction for blood, if for no other reasons. The fish may be eaten, but it is necessary to bleed it while it is still alive. After it is dead it should be cleaned, skinned and soaked as soon as possible to avoid the taste of urea in the meat. |
Other Common Names: |
blue whaler, great blue shark. |
Largest Recorded: |
No length recorded; 231 pounds (California); however, a 5 foot 9 inch male weighed just 49 pounds. A 12 foot 4 inch blue taken off southern California was not weighed. |
Habitat: |
Pelagic Environment |
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