Species Recovery Projects
Sixgill Sharks
Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks (Hexanchus griseus), which grow up to 15-feet long, are the largest of 11 shark species found in and near Puget Sound. Since little is known about this species, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife initiated the Puget Sound Shark Task Force (Seattle Aquarium, Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, University of Washington, and National Marine Fisheries Service) to study Sixgill Sharks in Puget Sound and Georgia Basin. Seattle Aquarium is conducting a long-term population ecology study (using genetic research, visual marker tagging, and acoustic tracking) to fill the large knowledge gaps.
Sixgills mainly live in deep marine water, but also live in the shallow water of Puget Sound. Sixgills are probably long-lived and slow-growing, and appear to establish movement corridors and territories. There is currently no information on the population of Sixgills in Puget Sound, and whether they are year-round or seasonal, and local or migratory.
