Researchers Record Roughskin Dogfish in Caribbean
A baited camera off Little Cayman captured the species at 1,054 metres, the first such record for the central Caribbean Sea.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Environmental
Researchers deployed a baited underwater camera to over one kilometre depth off Little Cayman during a 2024 expedition and recorded multiple roughskin dogfish at 1,054 metres. The footage marks the first recorded sighting of the species in the central Caribbean Sea.
Why it matters
The deep sea is one of Earth's least explored regions, and the sighting adds to scientific knowledge of where this species lives. The work demonstrates how baited video systems can document deep-sea biodiversity.
The footage, captured with a deep-sea baited remote underwater video system, documents roughskin dogfish at 1,054 metres depth. The extraction does not report population counts, and the broader distribution of the species in the region remains unresolved.
The players
Beneath The Waves
A marine research organization that led the deep-sea study off Little Cayman.
Department of Environment of the Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands government department that collaborated on the research.
The details
Researchers used deep-sea baited remote underwater video systems (dBRUVS), lowering a waterproof camera off Little Cayman to record multiple roughskin dogfish (Centroscymnus owstonii). The work was led by Beneath The Waves with collaboration from the Department of Environment of the Cayman Islands and support from the Darwin Plus Initiative and GoPro.
Timeline
• 2024: Expedition off Little Cayman captures the dogfish footage.
• November 5, 2026: Findings are published in the Journal of Fish Biology.
Big Picture
The sighting extends what deep-sea baited video surveys have documented in the Caribbean, a method used to map biodiversity in regions where the seafloor remains largely unexplored.
The findings deepen the record of marine species living far below the reach of divers, which can inform future decisions on where to protect deep-sea habitat. Readers interested in ocean life can track how such surveys change understanding of Caribbean biodiversity.
The takeaway
Deep-sea surveys like this one show that large parts of the ocean still hold species not yet documented in their region. Each new record helps scientists judge where conservation attention is most needed.
Further reading
Explore more in our Environmental coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Discover Wildlife.
