Sharks and Skates of Scotland Report: White ghost catshark (Apristurus aphyodes)
An extract from the Sharks and Skates of Scotland Report.
White ghost catshark - Apristurus aphyodes (Nakaya & Stehmann, 1998)
Occurrence in Scotland: Deep-sea. Resident. Found in high numbers on both sides of the Rockall Trough and along the continental slope and outer shelf off northwest Scotland.
Synonym(s): None; Order: Carcharhiniformes; Family: Pentanchidae
Common name: White ghost catshark, pale catshark
AlphaID: 105806 TSN Code: 772433
Note: The genus Apristurus is “one of the most taxonomically confused shark genera” (Walls, 2015), and contains at least 32 described species and a number of undescribed species (Compagno, 1984; Walls, 2015).
Population status
Scotland and Northeast Atlantic: Increasing trend over time (1998 – 2013) in Scottish deep-water surveys (Moore et al., 2013; Neat et al., 2015). Unknown in the rest of the Northeast Atlantic (Walls, 2015).
Global: Stable (Finucci et al., 2024)
Conservation listings
- IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern (assessment 30 June 2023)
- IUCN Red List Global: Least Concern (assessment 30 June 2023)
- CITES: Not listed
- CMS: Not listed
- OSPAR: Not listed
- Listed on the UK’s ‘Prohibited Species’ list as documented in the ‘Written Record of fisheries consultations between the United Kingdom and the European Union for 2025’ for UK waters of ICES Subareas 5-10
- Zero TAC under EU Regulation 2018/2025 & EU Regulation 2023/194
- Prohibited under EU Regulation 2025/202
- Listed on The Sharks, Skates and Rays (Prohibition of Fishing, Trans-shipment and Landing) (Scotland) Order 2012
- Included in the NEAFC measures prohibiting directed fishing for deep-sea sharks
Range and distribution
This deep-water species is native to the Northeast Atlantic and occurs from Iceland down to the Bay of Biscay (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013). In Scottish waters, it occurs along both the eastern and western slopes of the Rockall Trough (Neat et al., 2008 & 2015).
ICES DATRAS records for the White ghost catshark (Apristurus aphyodes) from 2000-2009.
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Map of the economic exclusion zone (EEZ) of Scotland showing the ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) DATRAS (Database of trawl surveys hosted by ICES) records for the White ghost catshark (Apristurus aphyodes) from bottom trawl surveys conducted between 2000 and 2009. Four red points clustered to the west of the Isle of Barra off the edge of the continental shelf represent trawl shoot positions in which White ghost catshark (Apristurus aphyodes) were captured.
Records for the White ghost catshark (Apristurus aphyodes) from SIAMISS and deep-water fisheries surveys undertaken by Marine Directorate 1996 – 2019.
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White ghost catshark are found on or near the bottom of the deep Atlantic slope (Neat et al., 2015, Jakobsdóttir et al., 2021). In surveys of the Rockall Trough, White ghost catshark were found between 850 and 1900 m, peaking in relative abundance between 1000 and 1500 m (Neat et al., 2015). All life-history stages of the catshark were found in the Rockall Trough, with a ratio of 1.5:1 for females to males. Bottom temperatures at which this species has been caught range from 3.7 °C to 9.7 °C, with salinity of 35.1 to 34.9 psu (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013).
Habitat
White ghost catshark are found on or near the bottom of the deep Atlantic slope (Neat et al., 2015, Jakobsdóttir et al., 2021). In surveys of the Rockall Trough, White ghost catshark were found between 850 and 1900 m, peaking in relative abundance between 1000 and 1500 m (Neat et al., 2015). All life-history stages of the catshark were found in the Rockall Trough, with a ratio of 1.5:1 for females to males. Bottom temperatures at which this species has been caught range from 3.7 °C to 9.7 °C, with salinity of 35.1 to 34.9 psu (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013).
Biology and Ecology
White ghost catshark are a small catshark species with a maximum total length of 69 cm, and the length at maturity for individuals from the Rockall Trough is estimated to be 49.0 cm TL for males and 56.9 cm TL for females (Moore et al., 2013). Reproduction is oviparous, egg capsules are small (43-52 mm long and 14-17 mm wide), roughly vase-shaped with two short, coiled horns (Iglésias et al., 2002). Five-7 egg cases per litter are produced, and the size at birth is approximately 14 cm TL (Ebert et al., 2021). Very little else is known about their biology and reproduction, as individuals are rarely caught due to the depths they inhabit (Walls, 2015). There is limited information on the diet of White ghost catsharks, but their prey includes crustaceans, mostly shrimps and euphausiids, cephalopods, and small benthic fishes (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013).
Human interactions
White ghost catsharks have been subject to a zero Total Allowable Catch in the Northeast Atlantic since 2010 (ICES, 2024) and has been a prohibited species since 2021. Apristurus spp are prohibited species in UK, EU and international waters of ICES subareas 5-10 and 12, and vessels are prohibited from landing this species in Scottish waters.
References
Ebert, D.A. and Stehmann, M.F.W. (2013) Sharks, batoids, and chimaeras of the North Atlantic. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 7. Rome: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Ebert, D.A., Dando, M. and Fowler, S.F. (2021). Sharks of the World. A complete guide. Princeton University Press, New Jersey.
ICES (2018) Report of the Working Group on Elasmobranch Fishes (WGEF), 19-28. Lisbon, Portugal.
Iglésias, S.P. et al., (2002) ‘Egg capsules of deep-sea catsharks from eastern north Atlantic, with first descriptions of the capsule of Galeus murinus and Apristurus aphyodes (Chondrichthyes: Scyliorhinidae).’, Cybium, 26(1), pp. 59–63.
Finucci, B. & Armstrong, A.O. 2024. Apristurus aphyodes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T44207A124430008. Accessed on 14 September 2025.
Moore, D. et al., (2013) ‘Population biology and ageing of the deep water sharks Galeus melastomus, Centroselachus crepidater and Apristurus aphyodes from the Rockall Trough, north-east Atlantic’, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press, 93(7), pp. 1941–1950. doi: 10.1017/S0025315413000374.
Neat, F. C. et al., (2008) The Deepwater Ecosystem of the Continental Shelf Slope and Seamounts of the Rockall Trough: A Report on the Ecolog and Biodiversity Based on FRS Scientific Surveys. Fisheries Research Services Internal Report No 02/08
Neat, F. C., (2015) ‘The diversity, distribution and status of deep-water elasmobranchs in the Rockall Trough, north-east Atlantic Ocean’, Journal of Fish Biology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 87(6), pp. 1469–1488. doi: 10.1111/jfb.12822.
Walls, R. (2015) White Ghost Catshark, Apristurus aphyodes, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T44207A48925828. (Accessed: 7 April 2020).
Jakobsdóttir, K., et al., V. 2021. Icelandic autumn groundfish survey 2020: Implementation and main results. In Haf og vatnarannsóknir/ MFRI. HV 2020-60.
