Qld: Rare Prickly Shark found
By Chris Herde
BRISBANE, April 3 AAP - A rare deep-sea shark has been dragged from the depths offthe far north Queensland coast.
Australian Institute of Marine Science researcher Mike Cappo said today the discoveryof the 1.6 metre male Prickly Shark last month was the "tip of the iceberg".
"This is new territory," he said from Townsville.
"There's a deepwater fish ecosystem we know so little about.
"They're all doing their thing in the dark depths and it's a huge area of habitat whichis totally unexplored off the tropical coast."
Mr Cappo said the Prickly Shark has only been found two other times in Australia, insub-marine canyons off the Victorian coast.
Because there was so little known about the shark, there was no indication on whetherthey are rare or not.
The shark was found tangled in fishing line at a 500-metre depth in the TownsvilleTrough, which starts about 80km east of the north Queensland city.
The 60kg shark has surprisingly delicate slippery skin under its numerous sharp prickles.
Its teeth resemble a comb with sharp prongs bent sideways in both directions.
Unlike other sharks, the dorsal fins are set way back near the tail, overlying broadventral fins that appear wing-like in life.
The Prickly Shark has been recorded in depths of more than 900 metres in other placesaround the world but sometimes ventures into shallow water.
Mr Cappo said the shark was brought in by fisherman Warren Williams, who over the yearshas also located three other deep-sea fish which had never been seen before off the northQueensland coast.
"He's fishing down to 500 metres and is catching other deepwater fish not recordedin Australia because no one's really had a look there," he said.
AAP ch/sc/gl/jlw
KEYWORD: PRICKLY (PIX AVAILABLE)
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