Shark
Soupfin Shark
Galeorhinus galeus
A slim grey houndshark of Cape waters, fast-swimming and schooling, long targeted for its fins and flesh.
Also known as school shark, soupfin, tope, vaalhaai
- Typical size
- Commonly 1.2-1.8 m
- Habitat
- Cool temperate coastal and shelf waters
- Depth
- Surface to about 500 m
The soupfin shark is a slender, streamlined houndshark, grey to bronze above and pale below, with a long snout, large eyes and a distinctively notched, elongated lower lobe on the tail fin. Harmless to divers, it is an active, schooling predator of the cool temperate Cape coast.
It feeds mainly on fish and squid over the continental shelf, moving inshore and offshore on seasonal migrations. Historically heavily fished for its fins and liver oil, the soupfin is slow to mature and long-lived, making it vulnerable to overfishing, and it is now a species of conservation concern that anglers should release where possible.