Alan Davidson

Scabbard Fish, Black Scabbard Fish

Aphanopus carbo Lowe

Appears in
top 1000North Atlantic Seafood
North Atlantic Seafood

By Alan Davidson

Published 1980

  • About

Family Trichiuridae

  • Portuguese: (Peixe) Espada preta
  • Spanish: Pez cinto
  • French: Sabre, Sabre noir
  • German: Degenfisch
  • Norwegian: Dolkfisk
  • Danish: Sort sabelfisk
  • Other: Cutlass fish, Hairtail

REMARKS Maximum length 110 cm. This thin, blackish fish is most frequently taken at Madeira, where it is the dominant commercial species, but it merits inclusion in the catalogue because it seems to be available in deep water as far north as Norway, and has also been reported from Greenland and northern Canadian waters; and because it is, in my opinion, a fish which is well worth eating and which could be landed in greater quantities in future, despite the villainous appearance of its heavily toothed head.