Norwegian record Piked dogfish: 9.9 kg

About Piked dogfish

The piked dogfish, also called spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), is the most common shark in Norway and occurs along the entire coast. Females can reach about 1.2–1.6 m and over 9 kg, while males stay smaller. It is a slim shark, grey-brown above with small white spots and pale below. Each of the two dorsal fins has a strong, mildly venomous spine in front, and there is no anal fin. It often travels in large schools, mostly at moderate depths but down to around 1,400 m, hunting fish, squid and crustaceans. Pregnancy lasts close to two years and ends in a small litter of live pups. Slow growth and late maturity made it vulnerable to overfishing, and after a steep decline targeted fishing was banned. The rules have since changed and a 70 cm minimum size applies, so check the Directorate of Fisheries' current rules before keeping one. Norwegian Red List 2021: Vulnerable (VU); IUCN: Vulnerable (VU).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Havforskningsinstituttet, Fiskeridirektoratet, Lovdata, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Januar

See the species guide

Biggest Piked dogfish in FishComp

6.81 kg (69 % of the record) by Mathias Hjelvik Rolland. See the catch

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.