“Shadow swimming right behind”: First live recordings of a captured roughskin shark | Regard

The rough-skinned stag shark, a species of the shark family that has never been seen alive before, was recently spotted in the uncharted depths of the Cayman Islands. Scientists described their first glimpse of the shark as “a shadow swimming just beyond the detection window (of the camera),” according to several reports.

Researchers from the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and project partner Beneath the Waves used a baited underwater video system (BRUVS) to track the dogfish alive. During a deep-sea study from 2022 to 2024, researchers recorded two curious individuals at a depth of 1,045 meters.

Why is the live footage of the rough-skinned dogfish important?

About 11 minutes of the project’s footage features the elusive roughskin shark (Centroscymnus owstonii). A few moments after the scientist spotted the shadow, the predatory shark approached the bait, giving researchers the opportunity to study the species living in its natural habitat.

The discovery of the rough-skinned stagshark, published in the Journal of Fish Biology, is significant as it provides the first live recordings of this species, previously only known from dead specimens. The group of scientists who discovered the dogfish reportedly hoped the findings would encourage conservation efforts to protect the Cayman Islands’ biodiversity.

According to conservationists, live recordings of all specimens help identify critical habitats and migration patterns of creatures in the animal kingdom.

Researchers involved in the discovery of the rough-skinned dogfish shark

A multidisciplinary team of scientists including Olivia Dixon, Shannon Aldridge, Johanna Kohler, Anne Veeder, Paul Chin, Teresa Fernandes, Timothy Austin, Rupert Ormond, Mauvis Gore, Diego Vaz and Austin Gallagher led the discovery. Their expertise and use of innovative technologies such as the BRUVS system have set new standards for deep-sea research.

Traditional methods such as fishing and trawling, often used to explore the deep sea, tend to harm marine life. However, video-based systems like the dBRUV allow researchers to study species with minimal ecological disruption.