Grenadier, Rat-Tail

This species is catalogued as the representative of the macrourid group of fishes, of which there are several species in the North Atlantic. They are bottom-dwelling, deep-water fish, abundant but difficult to catch, unattractive in appearance and not easy to skin and fillet by mechanical means. Even so, they constitute a considerable resource which may be exploited more fully in the future; although their growth rate is so slow that they might not withstand really heavy exploitation.