Hemitriakis leucoperiptera
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefin_topeshark
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Hemitriakis leucoperiptera faces severe population decline primarily due to intensive fishing pressure across its limited range in the western Pacific. The species is particularly vulnerable to both targeted shark fisheries and incidental capture in bottom trawl and gillnet operations. Its slow reproductive rate and late maturity make population recovery extremely difficult once numbers decline.
Habitat
This deepwater shark inhabits continental shelf and slope waters at depths of 50-200 meters in the western Pacific Ocean. It prefers sandy and muddy bottom substrates where it feeds on small fish and invertebrates.
