Animalia Life

Coryphaenoides rupestris
FAMILY
Macrouridae
TAXONOMY
Coryphaenoides rupestris Gunnerus, 1765, Trondheim.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Black grenadier, rock grenadier.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Abdominal region (tip of snout to beginning of anal fin) short. Snout broad and rounded. Head broad, soft and deep, with tiny chin barbel. First dorsal fin with two spines and 8–11 rays. Pelvic fin has 7–8 rays, with one elongate. A modified scutelike scale at tip of snout. A wide gap between first and second dorsal fins. Anal fin rays much longer than dorsal fin rays. Color brownish gray, with blackish fins. Reaches greater than a meter in length.
DISTRIBUTION
Occurs in the North Atlantic north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Baffin Island, Greenland, off Iceland and Norway, south to Spain in the Eastern Atlantic. Isolated occurrences off North Africa and Bahamas.
HABITAT
Found between 590 and 7,217 ft (180 and 2,200 m) depth, but concentrated between 1,312 and 3,937 ft (400 and 1,200 m). Adults may be distributed in shallower waters than younger fishes.
BEHAVIOR
Undertakes a post-spawning migration during the winter, back into relatively shallow waters.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Undertakes diurnal, vertical feeding migrations that may take it well off the bottom >3,280 ft (1,000 m). Consumes a variety of fishes and invertebrates, primarily pelagic crustaceans such as shrimps, amphipods, and cumaceans. Also feeds on lanternfishes and cephalapods.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Undertakes spawning migrations during the summer into deeper waters, particularly near Iceland. Females mature at about 23.6 in (60 cm), males at about 15.8 in (40 cm). Fecundity estimates range from 12,000 to 35,500 eggs per female. In some areas, may spawn year-round. The eggs are pelagic, spherical, and 0.091–0.095 in (2.3–2.4 mm) in diameter. Their shell is honeycombed and they contain a single oil globule. The larva has been illustrated by Merrett (1978).
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN. A valuable commercial fish species currently facing overexploitation in the North Atlantic.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
The roundnose grenadier is a fish with excellent taste and texture. Some 22,000 tn (20,000 t) are landed annually, primarily by fishing fleets from Russia, Germany, and Poland. Its liver is rich in fats and vitamins.

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