page_title: Broadnose sevengill shark
section_title: Conservation and relationship to humans
hierarchical_section_title: Broadnose sevengill shark / Conservation and relationship to humans
caption_attribution_description: English: Above:Banded or Ornate Wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus) Below:Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus)
context_page_description: The broadnose sevengill shark is the only extant member of the genus Notorynchus, in the family Hexanchidae. It is recognizable because of its seven gill slits, while most shark species have five gill slits, with the exception of the members of the order Hexanchiformes and the sixgill sawshark. This shark has a large, thick body, with a broad head and blunt snout. The top jaw has jagged, cusped teeth and the bottom jaw has comb-shaped teeth. Its single dorsal fin is set far back along the spine towards the caudal fin, and is behind the pelvic fins. In this shark the upper caudal fin is much longer than the lower, and is slightly notched near the tip. Like many sharks, this sevengill is counter-shaded. Its dorsal surface is silver-gray to brown in order to blend with the dark water and substrate when viewed from above. In counter to this, its ventral surface is very pale, blending with the sunlit water when viewed from below. The body and fins are covered in a scattering of small black & white spots. In juveniles, their fins often have white margins.
context_section_description: The broadnose sevengill is listed by the IUCN Red List as Data Deficient throughout most of its range, and as possibly Vulnerable in the northeast Pacific and Near Threatened in the eastern Pacific. This species likely suffers great ongoing pressure from various types of fisheries, and from frequently being caught as bycatch. In Argentina, it's fished by rod and reel and broadnose sevengill shark fishing competitions have been occurring since the 1960s. It is also threatened by water pollution and is hunted for its liveroil and hide which is considered good quality in places such as China. In the early 1980s, intense fishing in the San Francisco Bay caused a local decline. In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the broadnose sevengill shark as "Not Threatened" with the qualifiers "Data Poor" and "Secure Overseas" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
  Its meat and fins are in demand in countries such as the US, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Israel, and is packaged for frozen food. The broadnose sevengill is also a source of vitamin A and utilized by South African sport anglers for winter tournaments, however, this shark is not easy to land despite being readily hooked.
  It is frequently seen by tourists and in temperate water aquariums and can adapt to captivity. One of the aquariums that houses the broadnose sevengill shark, Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon, has featured it as a "keynote species". There is also an app Sevengill Shark Tracking "Shark Observers" that allows divers to log sightings that are added to the Shark Observation Network, where the information supports "environmental awareness, assessment and policy making, and public participation at a global level".
  Not many conservation measures are known but it has been recorded from one marine reserve in South Africa and it occurs in La Jolla Cove, La Jolla, San Diego, California with the latter having an apparent population increase in 2013. 2009 research also suggested that Bahía Anegada be made a conservation area given the high number of sharks there. In Washington state, recreational fishing of broadnose sevengill shark is closed on all state waters. In Victoria, Australia, the Department of Environment and Primary Industries sets a one bag limit and must be whole or in carcass form.
  The International Shark Attack File considers this shark to be potentially dangerous because of its proximity to humans, and because of its aggressive behavior when provoked. It has also been noted as being aggressive towards divers in both public aquariums and the wild and spearfishermen. In 2013, in Fiordland, New Zealand, a sevengill bit a diver's regulator and then his head  Human remains were also found in one specimen's stomach therefore divers should be wary of this shark. Seven attacks on humans by the broadnose sevengill have been recorded since the 16th century, with no known fatalities. In 2020 a 13 year old girl was bitten while surfing at Oreti Beach in New Zealand. The girl continued to surf for an hour before realizing her leg was bleeding.
caption: Painting by Frederick Schoenfeld
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