Spiny Dogfish
Scientific Name: Squalus acanthias
Common Names: piked dogfish, grayfish, spiny dogfish
The Spiny dogfish is frequently encountered by anglers and people fishing from party or charter boats. Traveling in schools, dogfish enter the inner waters of the Gulf of Maine in late spring in search of a meal of small cod, haddock, mackerel, herring or flounder. They leave in early fall. This small shark species is easily identified by its slender body, flattened head and rough slate gray skin. Adult dogfish generally weigh 7 to 10 pounds and all females are sexually mature by the time they are 36 inches long.
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