What is monkfish?
The monkfish is a fish prized for its flesh. Its commercial name is "monkfish", which is sexier than the name baudroie, which in the south of France referred to a toad.
Although the capture and observation of such a fish remains rare, especially from the shore, it is by no means exceptional! Monkfish are commonly found on the fishmonger's shelves, with the head (60% of the animal) removed, which often frightens customers...
Monkfish are found not only in the Mediterranean, but also all along the French Atlantic coast.
The common anglerfish is a cousin of the abyssal anglerfish, but not the same species. The abyssal anglerfish lives at great depths and is only a few centimeters long (for the female), while the males measure no more than 3 cm!
The anglerfish can grow to over a metre in length and commonly lives at depths of between 25 and 200 m. A formidable predator, it lurks at the bottom and attracts its prey by means of a flipper ray with a piece of skin at its tip. This ray is located in front of her eyes, which she wags and sways like a lure. Any fish, cephalopod or crustacean that approaches the anglerfish's mouth too unwisely is sucked in in the blink of an eye, with no hope of escaping its sharp teeth.
Note that it is possible that this is a red anglerfish. Monkfish and anglerfish look very similar, and to tell them apart, you'll probably have to cut the fish open. A membrane is white in the common anglerfish and black in the red anglerfish...
It also has no venom, unlike the scorpion fish or snapper.
A rare on-board capture
Our Porto Vecchi fishermen caught this specimen on a lure from the shore. It was most likely a fish that had been lost or discarded by a professional fisherman and was not in great shape.
It's also possible that the nearby harbor expansion work disturbed the animal. Several hypotheses are possible, but we certainly won't know what led this predator to prowl peacefully in so little water...
It remains an impressive animal and a line stroke engraved in the memories of both anglers.
