Lesser Spotted Dogfish
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
The lesser spotted dogfish is a shark: the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), with a cartilage skeleton and five gill slits.
It is one of the commonest sea fish around the UK, especially in the south and west. It lives over sand, fine gravel and mud, usually weighs around 2lb (1kg), and is non-quota in UK waters.
Anglers often curse it as a bait robber, yet it keeps biting when little else will. Below: bull huss ID, rigs, handling, egg cases, records and rock salmon, as part of our guide to UK sharks and dogfish.
Lesser Spotted Dogfish at a Glance
Dogfish guides quote different sizes and depths. Here are the figures and their sources.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Scyliorhinus canicula |
| Other names | Small-spotted catshark, lesser-spotted dogfish, rough hound, sandy dog, rock salmon; anglers also say doggie |
| Typical size | Around 60cm long, commonly about 2lb (1kg) |
| Maximum length | Up to 85cm (MMO); up to 100cm (FishBase) |
| Depth | 10m to 780m, usually 80m to 100m, though often caught from the shore |
| Seabed | Sand, fine gravel and mud |
| Diet | Crabs and other crustaceans, molluscs, worms and small fish |
| UK quota status | Non-quota |
| Conservation status | Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed August 2020) |
| British shore record | 4lb 15oz 3dr (2.244kg), BRFC list updated June 2026 |
The two maximums come from different sources: the MMO species ID card gives 85cm and FishBase gives 100cm. Most rod-caught small spotted catshark are well under either figure.
British records
The British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee list gives the shore record as 4lb 15oz 3dr (2.244kg), caught by S Ramsey at Abbey Burnfoot, Kirkcudbright, in 1988. The boat record is 4lb 9oz (2.069kg), taken by M Donnelly off Fleetwood in 2005.
The BRFC froze its weight-based boat list in June 2024 and now accepts only length-based boat claims, with a qualifying length of 80cm for this species. Records can change, so check the current list before you claim one.
How to Identify a Dogfish and Tell It From a Bull Huss
Turn the fish over and look at its nose. That one check settles it.
A lesser spotted dogfish has a slim, sandy-brown body covered in small dark spots, skin like sandpaper, five gill slits and a small crescent mouth set well back on the underside. If someone on the beach calls it a rough hound, that is another name for the same fish.
The MMO ID card gives the decisive feature: the nasal flaps. On a dogfish they run all the way down to the mouth. On a bull huss (the nursehound, Scyliorhinus stellaris) they stop short of it.
| Feature | Lesser spotted dogfish | Bull huss |
|---|---|---|
| Nasal flaps | Reach the mouth | Do not reach the mouth |
| Spots | Small and numerous | Larger, varied in size, some on the underside |
| Maximum size | Up to 85cm | Up to 1.6m |
Size is the back-up check. Anything over about 5lb (2.3kg) is almost certainly a huss, which fits with the dogfish shore record sitting just under that. See our bull huss guide.
Smoothhound and tope turn up on the same marks, and our UK sea fish identification guide covers them. Much bigger sharks such as the porbeagle are rarely confused with it. If the flaps reach the mouth, it’s a dogfish.
Where Dogfish Live, What They Eat and Their Egg Cases
FishBase describes the lesser spotted dogfish as nocturnal, yet anglers catch them in bright sunshine. Angler sources report bites day or night, all year round.
Habitat and feeding
Dogfish favour sand, fine gravel and mud. FishBase notes that females shelter in caves by day, so a daytime bite is less of a surprise than the label suggests.
They hunt along the bottom for crabs and other crustaceans, molluscs, worms and small fish. That diet is why the seabed baits in the next section work.
Mermaid’s purses: dogfish egg cases
Dogfish lay eggs. The tough egg cases, known as mermaid’s purses, are laid in shallow water just below the low-tide line, mostly in June and July, although laying can happen in any month.
The pups hatch after 5 to 11 months at 8 to 10cm long, according to FishBase.
Best Rig, Hooks and Bait for Lesser Spotted Dogfish
The simplest rig in your box is the right one for dogfish.
Fish a one or two hook flapping rig hard on the bottom, from shore or boat. If you have never tied one, follow our guide on how to tie a flapper rig.
| Item | Spec |
|---|---|
| Rig | One or two hook flapper |
| Hooks | Size 1/0 or 2/0 |
| Baits | Mackerel strip, squid, sandeel, ragworm |
Keep baits modest. The mouth is small and set back underneath, so a neat strip of mackerel or a short section of squid suits a lesser spotted dogfish better than a big cocktail.
Plenty of anglers treat dogfish as a pest because they take baits meant for bigger species. On a slow day, though, they are often what keeps the rod tip moving.
Best for: beginners and quiet days. Skip if: you are targeting bigger species and want your baits left intact.
How to Hold and Unhook a Dogfish
A dogfish that coils round a bare wrist leaves a graze like you’ve been sanded down for repainting. The right grip stops it.
- Wear a leather glove, because the skin is like sandpaper.
- Hold the fish firmly just behind the head.
- Bring the tail up to meet the head. The flexible cartilage skeleton lets a dogfish bend this way, and it stops the twisting.
- Use a disgorger to remove the hook.
- Return the fish promptly.
Those five steps are all a lesser spotted dogfish needs. For more on returning fish in good condition, see our guide to catch and release.
Rock Salmon, Eating Dogfish and the Rules
Chip-shop rock salmon is not salmon at all. The Marine Conservation Society says several small shark species are sold under generic names such as rock salmon, rock or huss.
The rules
The lesser spotted dogfish is non-quota in UK waters (MMO). We found no angling-specific bag or size limit for it.
Local rules can still apply, so before keeping any fish check the byelaws of your Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) in England, or the relevant authority in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. See UK sea fish minimum sizes.
Rock salmon and eating dogfish
Dogfish is edible and is skinned before cooking. In Scotland, the Fish Labelling (Scotland) Regulations 2003 listed rock salmon, huss, flake, rigg and rock eel as permitted names for Scyliorhinus species.
At the time of writing, the MCS Good Fish Guide lists North Sea and eastern English Channel dogfish as Fish to Avoid, and dogfish from the western UK as OK but needing improvement. Ratings change, so check the guide.
The verdict: before buying rock salmon, read the label for species and catch area.
Frequently asked questions
Is a lesser spotted dogfish a shark?
Yes. It is the small-spotted catshark, Scyliorhinus canicula, with a cartilage skeleton and five gill slits. It is one of several UK sharks, alongside much bigger species such as the porbeagle.
What is the British record for lesser spotted dogfish?
The BRFC shore record is 4lb 15oz 3dr (2.244kg), caught at Abbey Burnfoot, Kirkcudbright, in 1988. The boat record is 4lb 9oz (2.069kg) from off Fleetwood in 2005. A fish over about 5lb is almost certainly a bull huss.
Is there a size limit for dogfish in the UK?
We found no angling-specific size or bag limit. The species is non-quota, but local byelaws can apply, so check with your IFCA or the relevant authority in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland before keeping one.
How do you tell a dogfish from a bull huss?
Check the nasal flaps: on a dogfish they reach the mouth, on a bull huss they don't. A huss also has bigger, uneven spots and grows to 1.6m.