humans, either tolerating contact or fleeing when closely approached. It is susceptible to incidental capture by commercial bottom trawls, gillnets, or line gear. It has little commercial value since the meat is soft and poorly regarded. Conservation status In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the prickly shark as "At Risk – Naturally Uncommon" with the qualifiers "Data Poor" and "Secure Overseas" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the prickly shark as Data Deficient, citing its patchy known distribution and the continuing expansion of deepwater fisheries. References External links Echinorhinus cookei, Prickly shark at FishBase Echinorhinidae Taxa named by Viktor Pietschmann Fish described in 1928 Fish of the Pacific Ocean