Eel-Pout (U.K.), Ocean Pout, Mutton-Fish (U.S.A.)

Family Zoarcidae

• French: Loquette(?)
• Dutch: Puitaal
• German: Aalmutter
• Polish: Wegorzyca
• Russian: Bel’dyuga
• Finnish: Kivinilkka
• Swedish: Tånglake, Ålkusa
• Norwegian: Ålekone, Ålekvabbe
• Danish: Ålekvabbe
• Icelandic: Mjósi

REMARKS Maximum length about 45 cm, common length 30 cm. A yellowish-brown or greyish fish, which is a northern species, common in Scandinavian and Scottish waters. It is viviparous and may give birth to several hundred young.

Its American counterpart, known as ocean pout, is Zoarces americanus (Schneider), shown below, which occurs from Labrador to Delaware and may reach a length of over 1 metre.