Local Species - Smooth Hound

Mustelus asterias A slender bodied shark which grows to a maximum length of 1.6m, usually around 1.2m. The British rod-caught record is 12.7 kg. Smooth hounds inhabit waters usually from 5m to 50m depth, primarily at the bottom, feeding on crustaceans, cephalopods and small bony fish. Smooth Hounds are one of the more productive elasmobranchs with litters of up to 15 young born, being about 30cm in length.

Smooth Hounds primarily feed on crustaceans and may be an important predator of Cancer pagurus (Edible Crab) in some areas. The effect of environmental changes on the species is unknown but as a southerly distributed species, they have increased in northern Europe in relation to sea temperature increases. Click here to read the KEIFCA Species Management Plan for Smooth Hound