Blue Shark

Identification and comparisons

A slender body, long pointed pectoral fins and a first dorsal set well back create an elegant outline. The upper body is blue and the belly white, although underwater light can disguise color. Unlike a mako, it lacks a sharply crescent-shaped tail and heavy tail-base keels. Good photographs should capture the whole animal rather than only its dorsal fin. Florida Museum identification profile.

Atlantic Florida context

NOAA gives a broad Atlantic range from Newfoundland to Argentina and identifies this as an offshore shark, especially associated with cooler water. The Florida Museum notes deeper use of cooler water in tropical regions. These sources support an offshore regional profile, not a claim that blue sharks are common on Palm Beach reefs or in warm shallow lagoons. NOAA regional identification guides.

Feeding, breeding and size

Small fishes and squid are important prey. Females bear live young nourished through a yolk-sac placenta, sometimes in sizeable litters. Litter size is not a measure of population security: survival and fishing mortality also matter. NOAA gives an approximate upper size of 3.8 meters, while this guide avoids treating an approximate maximum as an average. Record the measurement method whenever a length is supplied. Species biology reference.

Three things worth noticing

• Blue is a useful clue, but shape remains essential in blue water.
• Long pectoral fins do not automatically mean longfin mako.
• Live-bearing sharks can use different ways of nourishing their developing young.

Observation and harvest caution

Florida currently places this species among conditionally harvestable sharks, with a 54-inch fork-length minimum. State and federal vessel limits differ; the state allowance is not permission to keep the same number offshore. Check FWC shark rules and NOAA’s live recreational limits before fishing. Permits, gear, handling and area restrictions also apply. This identification page is not a harvest authorization.

For divers, the useful response is to stay with the group, follow the guide’s directions and give the animal room. Do not chase, touch, feed or block its path for a better image. Record the date, location, depth and identifying features after the encounter. An honest uncertain identification is better than attaching a confident species name to an indistinct silhouette.

Current recreational retention rules

Checked November 12, 2026: FWC lists blue shark among harvestable species with a 54-inch fork-length minimum. Florida’s general recreational shark limits are one per person daily and two per vessel. NOAA’s Atlantic recreational group containing blue shark has a 54-inch fork-length minimum and a combined limit of one shark per vessel per trip. State and federal allowances cannot be added together. Permits, shark endorsements, gear and area restrictions still require checking. Official FWC shark rules Official NOAA retention guidance Official Florida legal definitions

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