Norwegian record Kitefin shark

No official record yet

Villmarksliv's official list of Norwegian sport-fishing records has no record for Kitefin shark yet. The first registered fish that meets the rules becomes the record.

About Kitefin shark

CSIRO National Fish Collection (CC BY 3.0)

The kitefin shark (Dalatias licha) is a medium-sized deep-water shark with a short, blunt snout, thick lips and plain dark brown to almost black skin. It has two small dorsal fins without spines and no anal fin. Its teeth differ sharply between the jaws: the upper ones are small and narrow, while the lower jaw carries large, triangular, serrated blades. With these it can slice chunks out of prey bigger than itself. It eats fish, especially grenadiers, other sharks, squid and crustaceans. The species occurs patchily in the Atlantic, the Pacific and parts of the Indian Ocean, usually at 200–600 m along continental slopes, with records from about 40 to 1,800 m. Adults are often 1–1.4 m long, and the maximum is about 1.8 m. Females give birth to live young. Researchers have shown that it can glow faintly. In Norway it has been recorded only once, in the Oslofjord. Norwegian Red List 2021: Not Applicable (NA). IUCN: Vulnerable (VU).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, sharkwater.com, scielo.cl

• Habitat: Saltvann

See the species guide

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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.