I’ve never cooked either the Lesser Spotted (LSD) or Greater Spotted Dogfish (known also as the Bull Huss, or GSD). To the best of my knowledge, I also have never eaten either of them. LSDs used to be sold in Fish & Chip shops as Rock Salmon or Rock Eel, although I rarely see them on menus much these days.
Both fish can be caught in good numbers on trips out of Poole. Belonging to the shark family, they are easy to identify owing to their streamline, shark-like shape.
Both are spotted, with the GSD displaying, unsurprisingly, bigger spots. It also grows far larger than its little cousin. The LSD and GSD both have rough, sandpaper-like skin of which anglers, with their scarred skin, are all too aware.
Dogfish recipes
It’s increasingly difficult to come across dogfish recipes, and with many species of sharks in decline, eating members of the shark family has, quite rightly, become unfashionable (in the UK at least).
Lesser Spotted Dogfish numbers are thought to be in good shape in UK waters. However, it’s less good news for the Greater Spotted Dogfish. The GSD is listed as vulnerable, with the population in decline.
For now at least, I wouldn’t buy either Dogfish unless I was entirely sure it was a Lesser Spotted Dogfish from a fishery with healthy numbers.
Sustainability
Read more about the IUCN rating for the Greater Spotted Dogfish.
Read more on the latest Marine Conservation Society ratings for the Lesser Spotted Dogfish.