Well I currently have a 8' x 4' x 2' 400 gallon aquarium, which the average growth for these species are around 2', larger specimens can reach up to 30" and max out at 32". So I should be able to accommodate the 10x square foot area and 4x the length 2x width requirements also to keep this shark happy. It is the smallest dogfish/hound shark that I know of.
Also thanks for the recommendation, got in contact with someone right away and they're getting in touch with fisherman in the area as they are typically found at water levels too deep to dive for.
Sadly, I don't know of any other suppliers that could obtain brown houndsharks.
Houndsharks belong to the family Triakidae. Dogfish belong to the unrelated family, Squalidae (there are catsharks that are called dogfish, though).
I talked to Matsu and they told me they couldn't dive for them bc they live at depths too deep, but they would get in contact with fisherman in the area to see if they could get them.
Still no luck unfortunately . I talked to someone at Live Rock N Reef who claimed they could get them, but I am pretty much certain they are talking about Grey Smooth hounds because they claimed they can get to 5' long. Meanwhile I spoke with a marine biologist and PhD candidate that work for the Florida Museum that dismissed that stating that they can grow to a max of 3' while averaging out at 2'
From what I have read, I don't think catching and keeping wild California marine life without a permit is legal with the exception of some seaweed outside MPA's. I only focused on Southern California, though, so San Francisco might be different.
If you Google brown smooth hound shark there are a couple of images of people catching them on piers in SF. Far as permits go I have no clue but I'd assume Matsu would have any permits they needed since they are a public aquarium specialty provider.
He is just keeping it fresh until the day he decides to eat it
