Blacktip shark
Carcharhinus limbatus
Not Kosher
Has fins but no scales
Fins
Yes
Scales
No
Description
The blacktip shark is a species of requiem shark in the family Carcharhinidae. It is common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world, including brackish habitats.
Blacktip shark meat is commercially important and sold fresh, frozen, or dried and salted. The fins go to shark fin soup, the skin to leather, the liver oil to vitamins, and the carcasses to fishmeal.
Blacktip sharks have a worldwide tropical and subtropical range. In the Atlantic they run from Massachusetts to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They stick mostly to water under 30 m deep over muddy bays, island lagoons, and reef drop-offs, and they tolerate low salinity well enough to enter estuaries and mangrove swamps.
Also known as
- blackfin shark
- blacktip whaler
- grey shark
- spotfin ground shark
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Has fins but no true scales, only tooth-like placoid denticles, so it is not kosher.
- Sandbar and other requiem sharks are sometimes sold under the name 'blacktip shark' in the United States, so the label isn't reliable.