The Smooth Dogfish Shark

The Smooth Dogfish Shark (Mustelus canis) - Averaging 3 to 4 feet in length, the Smooth Dogfish Shark is one of the most abundant sharks on the East Coast.

The smooth dogfish is found in great numbers in summer in the Delaware Bay and more of them are caught here than all of the other sharks combined.

They will leave the area in mid-October when the water starts to cool and by early November most of them will have headed south. They won't return until mid-April or when the water rises above 50 degrees.

Smooth dogfish have many low, flat, pavement-like teeth that crush and grind more than they actually bite or tear. They feed mainly on lobster, crabs, small fish, razor clams and small hard clams.

Sharks Common to the Delaware-Maryland Coast

• The Common Hammerhead Shark
  
• The Atlantic Mako Shark
  
• The Sand Shark
  
• The Smooth Dogfish Shark
  
• The Spiny Dogfish Shark
  
• The Sandbar Shark

Number of attacks in Delaware from the International Shark Attack File