Big boys in town: Occurrences of large male smoothhounds, Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Sea of Marmara

On 18 December 2023 and 17 August 2024, two male specimens of Mustelus mustelus (1321 mm and 1425 mm TL) were caught during scientific bottom trawling in the northern Sea of Marmara, the first off, the coast of Prince Islands and the second off Ambarlı. The results of the present study showed that male M. mustelus can grow extremely large (at least 292 mm) than previously published total length (TL) data for specimens caught in Turkish waters. The smaller size of male smoothhounds caught in Turkish waters in recent years is, of course, causing a phenomenon well known to the new generation of shark researchers in Türkiye, known as the “shifting baseline syndrome”. Currently, M. mustelus is not a protected shark species in Turkish waters but is also one of the most sought-after sharks by commercial fishermen. In conclusion, to avoid capturing mega-spawning specimens of M. mustelus in commercial fisheries, an upper size limit can be implemented as a first step towards effectively conserving the species.