We are constantly learning more about the deep ocean and the creatures that live in these remote places, from sleeper sharks to disco worms. Underwater technology can give us a look into previously inaccessible places under the waves, and one team has now revealed the first-ever record of a roughskin dogfish swimming about deep in the Caribbean Sea. 

During an expedition off Little Cayman, a deep baited remote underwater video system (dBRUVS) was used to learn more about the creatures living in this area. On August 13, 2023, the system was deployed to a depth of 1,054 meters (3,458 feet) and then recorded roughskin dogfish (Centroscymnus owstonii) coming to check out the bait – in this case, 500 grams of sardines. This represents the first-ever record of a roughskin dogfish in the Greater Antilles, central Caribbean Sea, and adds a new species locality record for the Cayman Islands.

The roughskin dogfish was originally found in the Japanese Islands but seems to have a patchy global distribution. These small sharks measure around 120 centimeters (47 inches) long. In fact, much of the ecological knowledge on the roughskin dogfish comes from specimens that have been accidentally caught by fisheries. On the new recording, the team saw one individual at first, and then subsequently saw two more dogfish at the same time. In total, the dogfish swam in front of the camera 54 times, totaling nearly 11 minutes of roughskin dogfish footage. 

As well as being the first record of a roughskin dogfish in the Caribbean Sea, the footage actually represents the first-ever recording of the species in the Cayman Islands. “This study highlights how dBRUVS can be a useful tool in deep-sea exploration and biodiversity surveys, successfully adding to our knowledge base of the biology of deep-sea shark species.” write the authors in the paper. 

 The paper is published in the Journal of Fish Biology.