Blackbelly Rosefish

 | By xfernal on 12/25/2020 11:43:37 AM | Views (1318)

The blackbelly rosefish, Helicolenus dactylopterus, is a marine bony fish from the family Sebastidae, also known as bluemouth rockfish, and bluemouth seaperch. This Atlantic species is a typical sit-and-wait predator with a highly cryptic coloration.

Helicolenus dactylopterus is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean. In the west, it ranges from Nova Scotia to Venezuela. In the east, it ranges from Iceland and Norway to South Africa, including the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands, and the entire Mediterranean Sea.

The blackbelly rosefish is a bathydemersal scorpionfish, found in soft bottom areas of the continental shelf and upper slope. They have been recorded at depths between 50 and 1,100 m (160 and 3,610 ft), but usually from 150 to 600 m (490 to 1,970 ft). They feed on both benthic and pelagic organisms including decapod crustaceans, fishes, cephalopods and sometimes pyrosomes, polychaetes and echinoderms.The proportions of these prey types in their diet vary according to the size of the fish.

Males reach a greater length and weight than females with the same age.

Max. length recorded: 47.0 cm TL;

Common length: 25.0 cm TL;

Max. published weight: 1,550 g;

Max. reported age: 43 years

Blackbelly rosefish have intraovarian gestation. Fertilization is internal, as free spermatozoa were found primarily in resting ovaries from July through early December, with peak occurrence in September through November in the Western Atlantic. There was a delay of 1–3 months before fertilization, as oocyte development did not begin until December.

Blackbelly Rosefish are typical by-catch when deep dropping off the Atlantic coast. With very large mouths, hook size is never a problem. Voracious eaters and currently plentiful, they are very easy to catch.

The Blackbelly Rosefish makes excellent table fare. They have a buttery and sweet meat that has the texture similar to crab meat. Delicious!

Catch Information

Species:
Blackbelly Rosefish