Deep water sharks, a diverse group of species inhabiting ocean depths beyond the continental shelf, are targeted by a handful of countries for their meat, liver oil, and fins. These sharks, including species such as the Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnus coelolepis), leafscale gulper shark (Centrophorus squamosus), and kitefin shark (Dalatias licha), are slow-growing and highly vulnerable to overfishing. The leading fishing countries not elsewhere included in major shark statistics are Spain, Portugal, and New Zealand, which operate deep-sea trawl and longline fleets in the Northeast Atlantic and Southwest Pacific. These nations have historically dominated the deep water shark industry, supplying products for squalene oil and specialty seafood markets, though international concern over sustainability has led to tighter quotas and, in some cases, outright bans on targeted deepwater shark fisheries.
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Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.