Overview

• An IUCN-linked ISRA assessment identified 124 important shark and ray areas across the North Sea and northeast Atlantic.
• The nursery lies between Borkum and the West Frisian Islands, where newborn and juvenile dogfish regularly use Dutch and German Wadden Sea waters.
• Researchers traced a migration corridor from Helgoland through the southern North Sea and the English Channel to the Celtic Sea, with waters around Helgoland serving adults.
• Dogfish are frequently taken as bycatch in European fisheries and currently lack targeted protection, and WWF says the mapped habitats should guide safeguards.
• The Thünen Institute in Bremerhaven is studying dogfish movements to inform management, and experts describe the species as nonthreatening to people.