Blue Shark, Prionace glauca
Blue Shark, Prionace glauca, Fetus. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, June 2010. Length: 34 cm (13 inches).
Blue Shark, Prionace glauca. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, June 2010. Length: 1.04 m (3 feet 5 inches).
The Blue Shark, Prionace glauca, is a member of the Requiem Shark or Carcharhinidae Family, and is known in Mexico as tiburón azul. Their common name is derived from their overall blue color. Globally, this is the only species in the genus Prionace and is found in Mexican waters of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
The Blue Shark has an elongated, slender, and fusiform body. They are dark blue dorsally and have intense blue flanks and a white belly. The tips of their anal and pectoral fins are dark. Their caudal fin is strongly asymmetrical; the long lower lobe is well-developed and the upper lobe has an undulating ridge along its top edge, a notch under the tip, and pits at the base, which has a small keel. Their first dorsal fin is low with its origin well behind the pectoral fins and the center of the base closer to the pelvic fins than the pectoral fins; and, their pectoral fins are very long, narrow, and slightly curved with pointed tips. Their head has an elongated conical snout that is longer than the width of the mouth. They have large rounded eyes. Their mouth is equipped with 1 median tooth, 14 triangular teeth that are curved cusps with serrated edges and overlapping bases on the top jaw, and 13 to 15 finely serrated, erect triangular cusps on both sides of the lower jaw. They have 5 gill slits, the last 2 being over the pectoral fins.
The Blue Shark is an abundant pelagic oceanic sharks that is widespread in temperate and tropical waters from the surface to depths of 350 m (1,150 feet). They rarely frequent inshore waters. They reach a maximum length of 3.8 m (12 feet 6 inches) and 205 kg (450 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 239 kg (528 lbs) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Montauk Point, New York in August 2001. They are found in waters ranging from 7oC (44oF) to 16oC (61oF) in temperature and on rare occasions in waters up to 21oC (70oF). They are highly migratory and make seasonal migrations to cooler waters during the summer and return in the fall. They are known to make trans-Atlantic and Pacific migrations of up to 9,200 km (5,700 miles). They have known mating areas and pupping areas and are relatively fast growing reaching sexual maturity in 4 to 6 years. They are opportunistic feeders that consume small pelagic fish and cephalopods, particularly squid as well as pelagic crustaceans, small sharks, cetaceans, and seabirds. They are known to feed 24 hours a day but are more active at night and in the early evening. Juveniles are preyed upon by California Sea Lions and larger sharks including the Shortfin Mako and the White Shark and rely on counter-shading for camouflage in the open oceans. Reproduction is viviparous with eleven to twelve month gestation periods and litter sizes of twenty-five to fifty pups. At birth, the pups measure between 41 cm (16 inches) and 50 cm (20 inches) in length and are immediately capable of caring for themselves. Their skin is smooth to the touch. Females have skin that is three times thicker than males allowing them to withstand the extensive courtship bites of males. They have lifespans of up to twenty years.
The Blue Shark is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
The Blue Shark can be confused with the Shortfin Mako, Isurus oxyrinchus (white under snout; head bigger than pectorals; first dorsal fin over pectoral border), and the Longfin Mako, Isurus paucus (dark under snout; bluntly pointed snout; very small anal and second dorsal fins).
From a conservation perspective the Blue Shark is currently consider as NEAR THREATENED. Although abundant, fast growing, rapid maturation, highly fecund, and widely distributed globally however, they are caught at a level of 20,000,000 individuals annually. There are currently no valid population assessments available. License limitations, bans on finning, restrictions on gear, by-catch limits, and recreational catch regulations are currently in place in a handful but limited number of countries. They are known to attack humans and boats and are considered a dangerous fish. The Blue Sharks are not fished commercially but are a major by-catch of longline, purse seines and driftnet fisheries. They are also a focused target of recreational sportsfishermen. Their meat is not deemed to be of value since it has a very short shelf-life. It is used on a very limited basis to produce jerky. Most are finned and their bodies discarded. Their fins are exported to Asia and resold for use in shark fin soup. Blue Sharks were a food source of Native Americans for centuries. They are currently a major component of the curio trade including in art, carvings, jaws, leather goods, photographs, stamps, and teeth.