Portuguese rabbitfish

7/28/2019

Photo: www.inaturalist.org

The Portuguese rabbitfish, Hydrolagus lusitanicus, is also known as the Coelho. Described in 2009 from the continental slope of Portugal, this species is infrequent bycatch of the Portuguese longline fishery for Black Scabbard Fish (Aphanopus carbo). Yes, many fisheries get large quantities of bycatch of deepwater sharks!

Only known from 22 specimens, the females collected ranged from 98.6 to 117.7 cm pre-supra caudal fin length (PSCFL) and males ranged from 81.5 to 95.4 cm PSCFL. They are an egg-laying species like other chimaeras.

Their range seems to be 1,600 metres to 2,410 metres deep (another one of those chill-loving chimaeras) and that Black Scabbard fishery generally operates at depths of 800-1,200 m and is thought to only sometimes be within this species’ range. From what we know, it seems the population may be severely fragmented although it is already tough to study the deep sea so we don’t know for sure.

The Portuguese rabbitfish, Hydrolagus lusitanicus, is also known as the Coelho. Described in 2009 from the continental slope of Portugal, this species is infrequent bycatch of the Portuguese longline fishery for Black Scabbard Fish (Aphanopus carbo). Yes, many fisheries get large quantities of bycatch of deepwater sharks! Their range seems to be 1,600 metres to 2,410 metres deep (another one of those chill-loving chimaeras) and that Black Scabbard fishery generally operates at depths of 800-1,200 m and is thought to only sometimes be within this species’ range. From what we know, it seems the population may be severely fragmented although it is already tough to study the deep sea so we don’t know for sure. Due to knowing what little we do know about their range/habitat, it can be assumed that these fisheries as they currently operate do not pose a significant threat to this species, so it is assessed to be Least Concern (LC) in the European region by the IUCN.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

Artisanal fishery: There is, as yet, no universally-accepted definition; the term is used interchangeably with ‘small scale fishery.’ In general, artisanal fishing will be family-based, employing small or no boats and simple and/or traditional methods.
Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species.
Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.