Black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo)

Scientific name: Aphanopus carbo Lowe, 1839

Black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo)

The Black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo) is a marine fish of the family Trichiuridae. Native range: North Atlantic, on both sides and at underwater rises from Denmark Strait to about 30?N.

Biology

Juveniles mesopelagic. Bathypelagic. Migrate to midwater at night and feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes (mostly macrourids, morids and alepocephalids). Mature at 80 to 85 cm. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Commercial catch up to 1000 t was caught off Madeira with a specialized commercial deep water longline. Appear as bycatch in the trawl fishery west of the British Isles, along the Middle-Atlantic Ridge and at Corner Rise. Important and fabled food fish in Madeira. Some specimens reach 145 cm (Nuno Marques, Nomad@netmadeira.com, 12/09).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Aphanopus carbo
Family
Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
110
Common length
70.0
Depth range
200–1700 m (656–5577 ft)
Environment
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 200 - 1700 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
North Atlantic: on both sides and at underwater rises from Denmark Strait to about 30?N.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.11-0.25)

Sources

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

Last updated