Black scabbardfish
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| Black scabbardfish | ||||||||||||
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| Aphanopus carbo Lowe, 1839 |
The black scabbardfish, Aphanopus carbo, is a bathypelagic cutlassfish of the family Trichiuridae found in the Atlantic Ocean between latitudes 69° N and 27° N at depths of between 180 and 1,700 m. Its length is up to 110 cm, but reaches maturity around 80 to 85 cm.
The black scabbardfish is a fish with a body that is extremely elongated, with body depth 10.8 to 13.4 times in SL. The snout is large with strong fang-like teeth. Pelvic fins represented by a single spine in juveniles but entirely absent in adults. Color is coppery black with iridescent tint. The inside of the mouth and gill cavities are black. Juveniles are believed to be mesopelagic from 100 to 500 m.
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[edit] Economic value
The black scabbardfish is of economic important to fisheries associated with countries of the Iberian Peninsula, and especially with the Madeira Islands where they are prized for food.
[edit] Conservation
The Marine Conservation Society has rated the scabbardfish as a species vulnerable to overfishing. According to MCS, there is little information to indicate the fishery to be sustainable.
[edit] References
- ^ Moralez-Nin, Beatriz. Sena-Carvalho, Dalila. 1996. Age and growth of the black scabbard fish (Aphanopus carbo) off Madeira. Fisheries Research. Vol. 25:239-251.
- ^ Moralez-Nin, Beatriz. Sena-Carvalho, Dalila. 1996. Age and growth of the black scabbard fish (Aphanopus carbo) off Madeira. Fisheries Research. Vol. 25:239-251.
- ^ "Fish to Avoid"
[edit] General references
- Aphanopus carbo (TSN 172389). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 24 January 2008.
- "Aphanopus carbo". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. December 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
