Salmon Shark

At a glance

Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) is an IUCN Least Concern shark or ray with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.

Confirmed by 182 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, Oregon, and British Columbia the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Salmon sharks are endothermic and can maintain body temperatures up to 20°C warmer than the surrounding seawater.
• They can reach about 10 feet in length and weigh over 450 pounds.
• Salmon sharks follow Pacific salmon migrations and actively hunt in frigid Alaskan waters near 2°C.
• They are closely related to the porbeagle and great white shark, sharing a nearly identical torpedo-shaped body.
• Salmon sharks have been tracked diving to depths exceeding 500 feet in the North Pacific.

Where Salmon Shark are seen

• California103 iNat obs
• Oregon34 iNat obs
• British Columbia20 iNat obs
• Alaska12 iNat obs
• Washington12 iNat obs
• Yukon1 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Salmon Shark

• British ColumbiaCanada · official source

Background

The salmon shark is a species of mackerel shark found in the northern Pacific ocean. Similar to other mackerel sharks, salmon sharks have a thunniform body type. As an apex predator, the salmon shark feeds on salmon, squid, sablefish, birds, walleye pollock, and herring. Salmon sharks get their name from their diet, which primarily consists of salmon. It is known for its ability to maintain…

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Salmon Shark article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other sharks & rays on CatchRules

• Nurse SharkGinglymostoma cirratum
• Reef Manta RayMobula alfredi
• Oceanic Manta RayMobula birostris
• North Pacific Spiny DogfishSqualus suckleyi