 The nursehound is found in the northeastern Atlantic from southern Norway and Sweden to Senegal, including off the British Isles, throughout the Mediterranean Sea, and the Canary Islands.It may occur as far south as the mouth of the Congo River, though these West African records may represent misidentifications of the West African catshark ("S. cervigoni").Its range seems to be rather patchy, particularly around offshore islands, where there are small local populations with limited exchange between them.