Here in the urban wilds of the New York metropolitan region you never know what you might find while walking along a beach. At times evidence of the diversity of wildlife that exists near one of the most densely populated coastlines in the world.
A few days ago, while walking in the early morning hours along a sandy beach in the Borough of Union Beach, a small Raritan Bay community situated directly downstream from New York City, a large fish washed up onto the beach with the tides. It was a strange looking lifeless creature lying at the high water line.
In fact, it was a small dead shark, a Smooth Dogfish shark. It had a slender, narrow body and very smooth skin, hence the name.
Although dogfish are common around Lower New York Bay and surrounding waters, this Smooth Dogfish was still a real surprise, and one of the most exciting things I've found on a beach all season so far. Although I would rather see a live shark, they really are amazing creatures, it was still a sight to see. Proof the bay can catch you off guard and revel some relics of a largely hidden world underneath the waves.
The dogfish was about a foot and half long. A juvenile, since adult Smooth Dogfish can grow up to five feet in length. A fairly small species of shark, especially when you consider Shortfin Makos can grow to lengths around 13 feet and Threshers Sharks can grow in size to 20 feet or more including its long tail. Both sharks being familiar coastal species found near Lower New York Bay.
It wasn't clear to me how this dogfish died or how it found its way to Union Beach. There was a big gaping hole near its skull. Perhaps made by a predator (a larger shark), or an angry fisherman. Some local fishermen have a real dislike for dogfish. Supposedly the fish will steal bait off a hook and also gobble up juvenile flounders and other important aquatic game species.
It's true that dogfish have a voracious appetite. They are opportunistic feeders that will eat just about anything their teeth can chomp on including crabs, lobsters, clams, snails, shrimps, worms, and anything else that is edible. They are generally harmless and unaggressive towards people, though, a dogfish might give a good bite if irritated and provoked.
Possibly an annoyed fisherman caught this Smooth Dogfish while surf fishing and took out a big chunk of its flesh to use as bait to catch other fish. Stripers are still being caught around local tidal waters.
Otherwise, not everyone dislikes dogfish. Some commercial fishermen will catch dogfish for profit to sell at local restaurants and seafood markets. In the last few years there has been a growing movement for people to eat Smooth Dogfish, which some people claim has a sweet, mild flavor. In Europe and in some places in New York City, restaurants will serve dogfish in "Fish and Chips."
For this dogfish, however, it wound up being either bait or something for gulls to eat. Not a happy ending for sure.
It seemed to have lost its way, winding up on a sandy beach in Raritan Bay, instead of heading south for the winter. Smooth Dogfish that summer in Lower New York Bay will frequently overwinter down south in Chesapeake Bay or the Carolinas.
Although a beach can be a place of beauty and bliss, it can also be an unexpected graveyard where remains of former life wash up. These relics represent the ongoing life-and-death struggles that constantly take place in an estuary or ocean.
For more information, pictures and year-round sightings of wildlife in or near Sandy Hook Bay and Lower New York Bay, please check out my blog entitled, Nature on the Edge of New York City at http://www.natureontheedgenyc.com
