American conger (Conger oceanicus)

Scientific name: Conger oceanicus Mitchill, 1818

The American conger (Conger oceanicus) is a marine fish of the family Congridae.

Biology

Occurs from shallow inshore waters to depths of 477 m and up to 260 m in the Gulf of Maine. Benthic. Feeds mainly on fishes, but also on shrimps and small shellfish. Commonly caught by anglers along piers, docks and jetties in middle Atlantic states.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Conger oceanicus
Family: Congridae (Conger and garden eels)
Order: Anguilliformes (Eels and Morays)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 230
Common length: 100.0
Depth range: 1–477 m (3–1565 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; oceanodromous; depth range 1 - 477 m, usually 75 - 150 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Western Atlantic: Cape Cod in Massachusetts to northeastern Florida in USA and northern Gulf of Mexico. Reported in eastern Atlantic: St. Helena. Northwest Atlantic: Canada.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming tm>4)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026