''Hyperoglyphe perciformis'', the barrelfish is a primarily

bathypelagic The bathypelagic zone or bathyal zone (from Greek βαθύς (bathýs), deep) is the part of the open ocean that extends from a depth of below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The bathypelag ...

species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

belonging to the family Centrolophidae. The barrelfish is found in the Northern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. Despite being in the medusafish family, the barrelfish does not associate with jellyfish or other medusae. It is considered a deep-water

gamefish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...

Description

The barrelfish primarily has a brown to black coloration on their back, fading to gray on the sides of the body. The dorsal fin normally has 8 spines, and 20 to 22 soft rays. Barrelfish are relatively deep bodied, and have large eyes adapted for sight in the bathypelagic zone. Younger barrelfish have smaller eyes compared to adults, as they do not inhabit deeper water until they grow larger. The young barrelfish found in the upper water columns are often no larger than 1 ft, but adults can grow up to 3 ft in length and weigh up to 27 lbs.

Distribution

The native range of barrelfish includes the subtropical and temperate waters of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, where they are heavily associated with the deeper waters of the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Uni ...

and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

. In North America, barrelfish range from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

, to the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of ...

. In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, their range is more restricted, being found from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

Habitat and biology

Young barrelfish inhabit all levels of the water column, and have a habit of examining any floating object which crosses their path. It is irrelevant whether the item is a natural object such as a log, or man-made

flotsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the rema ...

such as barrels, which is where the name "barrelfish" originated from. Adults are more frequently found in deep water over the continental slopes, appearing first around 300 ft and being found down to at least 1,200 ft. Barrelfish are occasionally found in the same environment as

groupers Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...

, deep-water

snappers Snapper(s) may refer to: Animals * Lutjanidae, a family of fish known as snappers **'' Lutjanus campechanus'', a fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of the United States ** Bigeye snapper (''Lutjanus lutjanus''), a fish tha ...

, and tilefishes. The diet of the barrelfish consists of crustaceans, molluscs, and fish.

Uses

Barrelfish are of minor commercial importance but are not often targeted by commercial fishermen due to the inability to find them consistently. They are often caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juven ...

in the

swordfish Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfi ...

, deep-water grouper and snapper fisheries. Recreational anglers also occasionally catch barrelfish whilst deep dropping for snappers and groupers, or fishing for swordfish. The meat is of high quality, with a mild flavor. Barrelfish can be prepared and cooked in a variety of fashions and reportedly freezes well. Some anglers consider them trash fish, as they have a thick slime coating and are caught as bycatch.

Conservation

While considered an uncommon fish, the barrelfish is not considered rare. It is listed as species of least concern, as it is difficult to target with any consistency.

Gallery

Barrelfish-lophelia.jpg, A barrelfish seen on a deep-sea

lophelia ''Lophelia pertusa'', the only species in the genus ''Lophelia'', is a cold-water coral that grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean, as well as parts of the Caribbean Sea and Alboran Sea. Although ''L. pertusa'' reefs are ...

coral reef. Hyperoglyphe perciformis.jpg, A fresh-caught and gutted barrelfish.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7478540 Centrolophidae