Biology
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The anglerfish lies half-buried in the mud or sand on the bottom of the sea, attracting fish to its huge mouth by means of its lure. Fish are drawn in by the sudden inrush of water. This method of feeding is a speciality of the various groups of anglerfish worldwide.
Anglerfish spawn between May and June in British waters, and between June and August in the North Atlantic. The eggs, numbering up to a million, are contained in a band of mucus about 10 metres long, released to drift in the open ocean. The larvae, when they hatch, look just as extraordinary as the adult fish. They mature at a length of 40 cm and at an age of four years for males, and a length of 70 cm and an age of six years for females. A fully-grown adult anglerfish may live for 20 years or more.
Conservation
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The anglerfish is listed in the UK Biodiversity Grouped Species Action Plan for deep-water fish. The European Union (EU) has regulatory powers over commercial sea fishing for member countries but allows individual nations some flexibility in the application of the EU rules.
The commercial exploitation of anglerfish is governed by the total allowable catch (TAC) regulations. Catches in the North Sea and west of Scotland, areas monitored by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), are covered by precautionary TACs. However, the fishing industry has been lobbying for an increase, and permission to extend the catching of anglerfish into deeper waters. ICES has suggested that commercial deep-sea fishing could pose a serious threat to many species as numbers are below safe biological limits. For other species, we simply do not know the size of their populations. ICES has recommended that unsustainable commercial deep-sea fishing should therefore be reduced, and better records kept of fishing activities so catches can be equated to known fish population sizes. At the present time, anglerfish are being overfished, and there are no management plans for its conservation.
The deep-sea ecosystem is still largely unexplored and understudied. However, we do know that it is a fragile system. Unregulated, unsustainable commercial harvesting of fish stocks risks wrecking this fascinating habitat before we have learned of its importance and value to the ocean as a whole.
Description
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The various names for this fish - anglerfish, monkfish, goosefish - point to the fact that it has a very unconventional appearance, as indeed do all 24 members of this family of fishes. At first glance, it appears to be all head – and a head almost as wide as the whole fish is long - with the flattened body tapering sharply towards the tail. The skin is dark, rough and knobbly and has no scales. Despite its unappetising look, anglerfish are a commercial species, and considered good eating, although the tail is usually the only part of the fish displayed on most fishmongers' slabs. Other notable features of this fish include an enormous, crescent-shaped mouth on the upper half of the body, and the presence of three long spines on the head between the eyes; the front spine is modified to act as a lure, bringing prey fish within reach of the anglerfish's mouth. The dorsal and ventral fins are placed way back on the tail, and the two large limb-like pectoral fins have gill slits located directly behind them.
Habitat
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The anglerfish frequents the coastal, deep continental shelf regions, on the sandy or muddy sea bottom, at depths ranging from 20 to 1000 metres.
Range
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The anglerfish range extends along the eastern Atlantic, along the Norwegian coast of the south-western Barents Sea, down to the Straits of Gibraltar, and includes the Mediterranean and Black Sea. There are also records from Icelandic waters.
Status
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Not subject to protection.
Threats
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The biology of deep-water fish such as the anglerfish is still relatively unknown and with deep-water fishing largely unregulated, it has proved difficult to assess whether populations of these fish are being adversely affected. Another problem associated with many deep-water species is their late maturity, meaning that there is a greater risk of them being caught before reaching reproductive age.
When these deep-water fish are caught accidentally (bycatch) as often happens with indiscriminate trawling, they are unable to survive being hauled up to the surface, and are already dead before they are returned to the sea.
These large predatory fish are thought to be top of the food chain within the ecosystem they inhabit, and there are fears that commercial overfishing of their food, and subsequent damage to their habitat by weighted trawl nets, could have an adverse effect on populations.
Benefits
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Caught commercially with bottom trawls, gill nets, and bottom longlines. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 53 322 t. The countries with the largest catches were UK (16 989 t) and France (10 592 t). Marketed fresh and frozen; eaten steamed, sautéed, broiled, fried, microwaved and baked.
Brief Summary
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anglais
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fourni par FAO species catalogs
Benthic,from shallow, inshore waters to 500 m.Feeds mainly on fishes, occasionally sea-birds. Spawning February-July.
Size
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anglais
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fourni par FAO species catalogs
Attains a maximum length of 200 cm; common 20-100 cm.
Distribution
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anglais
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fourni par FAO species catalogs
Mediterranean, Black Sea, eastern North Atlantic from Straits of Gibraltar to south-western Barents Sea.
Diagnostic Description
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anglais
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fourni par FAO species catalogs
Body and head strongly depressed. Gill openings extending below and behind pectoral fin base. Dorsal finrays VI + 11-12; esca (fleshy appendage at end of first dorsal spine) bifid, composed of 2 broad, flattened, leaf-like blades; dorsal spines II-VI long, stout and bearing numerous well-developed tendrils; length of fouth dorsal spine greater than snout width. Anal finrays 9-10. Peritoneum pale. Colour in preservative highly variable, uniform or mottled light to very dark brown above, white below; dorsal surface of pectoral fin as body proximally, darker distally; ventral surface of pectoral fin white with dark brown band on distal quarter; pelvic fins white with dusky interradial membranes; all fin rays with pale tips; esca as described above, black spot at base; illicium pigmented as dorsal body surface.
- Buen, F. de. - 1926Catálogo ictiológico del Mediterráneo Español y de Marruecos, recopilando lo publicado sobre peces de las costas mediterráneas y próximas del Atlántico (Mar de España). Resultados Camp. Int. Inst. esp. Oceanogr., 2: 1-221.
- Caruso, J. H. - 1983The systematics and distribution of the Liphiid anglerfishes: II. Revisions of the genera Lophiomus and Lophius. Copeia, 1983 (1): 11-30.
- Caruso, J. H. - 1986 Lophiidae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead et al., (eds.).Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean (FNAM). Unesco, Paris, vol. III: 1362-1363. Fishbase: ICLARM .
- Lloris, D, J. Rucabado, LL del cerro, F. Portas, M. Demestre & A. Roig. - 1984Tots els peixos del mar Català. I: Llistat de Cites i de referències. Treballs Soc. Cat. Ict. Herp., 1: 1-208. S
Morphology
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Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Analsoft rays: 9 - 10
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Diagnostic Description
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Peritoneum pale. Head and body depressed. Mouth wide and cavernous. Skin thin and loose, scales absent. Esca bifid, 2 broad, flattened , leaf-like blades. Dorsal spines long, stout and bearing many well-developed tendrils; 4th spine greater than snout width (Ref. 4712).
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Biology
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Occurs on sandy and muddy bottoms from the coast (below 20 m, Ref. 12382) down to depths of 1,000 m. May also be found on rocky bottoms (Ref. 12382). It lies half-buried in the sediment waiting for its prey. It attracts prey by means of its fishing filament (Ref. 5377). Feeds mainly on fishes, occasionally sea-birds. Marketed fresh and frozen; eaten steamed, sautéed, broiled, boiled, fried, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988). It is a well-studied species in Europe and is sold without the skin and the head under the name 'queue de Lotte' (Ref. 5377). Does not adapt well in home aquariums due to its large size (Ref. 12382).
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Importance
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fisheries: highly commercial; price category: high; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species
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Lophius piscatorius
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anglais
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fourni par wikipedia EN
Lophius piscatorius, commonly known as the angler, European angler or common monkfish, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Within some of its range, including the Irish Sea, this species comprises a significant commercial fishery.[2]
Description
The average size of European anglers is 40–60 centimetres (16–24 in), with larger specimens exceeding this range. Precise ranges in body size tend to vary between different localities and populations. Average size also tends to increase with depth; populations living in deeper waters are larger-bodied overall than shallow-water ones.[3]
It has a very large head which is broad, flat, and depressed; the rest of the body appears to be a mere appendage. The wide mouth extends all the way around the anterior circumference of the head, and both jaws are armed with bands of long, pointed teeth. These are inclined inwards and can be closed so as to offer no impediment to an object gliding towards the stomach, but to prevent its escape from the mouth.[4]
The pectoral and pelvic fins are articulated as to perform the functions of feet, so the fish is able to walk along the bottom of the sea, where it generally hides in the sand or amongst seaweed. Around its head and also along the body, the skin bears fringed appendages resembling short fronds of seaweed, a structure which, combined with the ability to match the colour of the body to its surroundings, assists this fish in camouflaging itself in the places which it selects on account of the abundance of prey. It has no scales.[4]
The ovaries of female anglers take the form of two long, ribbon-like lobes connected at their posterior ends. One side consists of an egg-producing layer, while the other produces a gelatinous secretion that fills the ovarian lumen during egg maturation. During the reproductive season, the ovaries swell until they fill the abdominal cavity. Male testes are elongated and bean-shaped in cross-section. Spermatogenesis begins in sac-like cysts and is completed in the lumina.[5]
Habitat
The European angler inhabits muddy and sandy bottoms up to depths of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It is occasionally found on rocky bottoms as well.[6] They rarely occur below the continental slope.[7]
Behavior
Feeding
The fish has long filaments along the middle of its head, which are, in fact, the detached and modified three first spines of the anterior dorsal fin. The filament most important to the angler is the first, which is the longest, terminates in a lappet, and is movable in every direction. The angler is believed to attract other fish by means of its lure, and then to seize them with its enormous jaws. While it is considered probable that smaller fish are attracted in this way experiments have shown that the actions of the jaw is automatic and depends on the contact of the prey with the tentacle. Its stomach is expandable and it is not unknown for these fish to swallow prey of their own size.[4]
Adult anglers feed primarily on fish, while juveniles prey mainly on marine invertebrates.[7] Norway pout is the most common prey item in Northern European waters, while blue whiting is more common among southern population. Whiting and Norway lobster are among the main prey of adult anglers in the Irish Sea. Lesser sandeel is a seasonally common prey item around the Shetland Islands. Cephalopods are an important food source in the Cantabrian Sea.[8] In 1940, an angler was discovered with a herring gull in its stomach, and it is known to surface and attempt to capture waterbirds.[9]
Breeding and lifecycle
The spawn of the angler consists of a thin sheet of transparent gelatinous material 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft) wide and 7.5–9 m (25–30 ft) long drifting freely in the water. The eggs in this sheet are in a single layer, each in its own little cavity. The larvae are free-swimming and their pelvic fins are elongated into filaments.[4] As many as 300,000 to 2,800,000 eggs may be released in a single spawning.[7] The egg sheets are buoyant and float near the surface of the water, where the action of wind and surface currents may aid dispersal.[5]
A male angler matures at the age of four years and grows to be 40 cm (16 in) long; whereas the female angler takes two years longer to mature.[10]
The primary spawning season is distributed between February and June, peaking in spring. A secondary spawning season occurs in November and December, although with a lower percentage of actively reproducing individuals than observed in the primary season.[5]
Relationship with humans
Lophius piscatorius has historically been considered valuable bycatch in Atlantic fisheries. Captures increased significantly following the development of improvements in deep-water fishing technology. The species has been an important fishery resource in Iberian waters since the 1980s. The related species Lophius budegassa is often caught alongside it, but L. piscatorius is the more abundant of the two.[8]
References
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^ Arnold, R. (2015). "Lophius piscatorius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T198610A21911225. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198610A21911225.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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^ C.Michael Hogan. (2011). Irish Sea. eds. P. Saundry & C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC Retrieved 11 April 2017.
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^ Laurenson, Chevonne H.; Dobby, Helen; McLay, H. Anne; Leslie, Beth (2008). "Lophius in the world: A synthesis on the common features and life strategies". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 65 (7): 1281–1290. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn114. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
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^ a b c d One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Angler". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 15.
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^ a b c Colmenero, Ana; Tuset, Victor M.; Sánchez, Pilar (2017). "Reproductive strategy of white anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) in Mediterranean waters: implications for management". Fishery Bulletin. 115 (1): 60–73. doi:10.7755/FB.115.1.6. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
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^ "Lophius piscatorius". FishBase. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
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^ a b c "Lophius piscatorius". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
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^ a b Fariña, A.; Azevedo, M.; Landa, J.; Duarte, R.; Sampedro, P.; Costas, G.; Torres, M.; Cañás, L. (2008). "Lophius in the world: A synthesis on the common features and life strategies". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 65 (7): 1272–1280. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn140. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
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^ Banta, A. M. (1941). "Another Avivorous Angler or Goosefish". Science. 93 (2407): 158–158. doi:10.1126/science.93.2407.158.b. ISSN 0036-8075.
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^ "Lophius piscatorius: Reproduction". bioweb.uwlax.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38 (2006) 742–754
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Lophius piscatorius: Brief Summary
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Lophius piscatorius, commonly known as the angler, European angler or common monkfish, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Within some of its range, including the Irish Sea, this species comprises a significant commercial fishery.
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