Hi all,
A question about Pacific sleeper shark is forwarded to you for any
information regarding shark meat toxicity for this species. Send your
responses to Scott Meyer at his e-mail address below.
Regards,
Brian Himelbloom
Univ. Alaska Fairbanks
Fishery Industrial Technology Center
Kodiak, AK 99615
As a manager and researcher working with recreational groundfish
fisheries, I'm occasionally asked about the edibility of Pacific sleeper
sharks /Somniosus pacificus/. I was told several years ago that Pacific
sleeper sharks are toxic and inedible, similar to the greenland shark
/Somniosus microcephalus/. Later I talked to an ADF&G biologist in
Soldotna (Tim McKinley) who once ate about 6-8 oz of baked sleeper shark
without any repercussions. Sleeper sharks are occasionally harvested by
sport fishermen who want to know if they're safe to eat. In addition,
there is increased interest in commercial utilization along with recent
increases in abundance in the North Pacific.
This led me to a fairly extensive search of the Internet and several
online literature databases. Other than our ADF&G web site, I found a
single reference to the toxicity of Pacific sleeper shark meat, and it
isn't what I would call a highly trusted source:
"...The meat of this shark is slightly toxic unless it is dried or aged
and semi-putrid."
http://www.allaboutspace.com/subjects/sharks/glossary/indexp.shtml
While the poisonous nature of greenland shark flesh is well documented,
I can find no credible scientific evidence that Pacific sleeper shark
meat is toxic. Do you know of any sources of this information, or if
not, is it possible to determine chemically whether the flesh is toxic?
Thanks for your time with this request.
Scott Meyer
Alaska Dept. Fish & Game
Division of Sport Fish
3298 Douglas Place
Homer, AK 99603
(907) 235-1742
scott_meyer@fishgame.state.ak.us
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