The BLACK SCABBARDFISH has a flattened
black iridescent body shaped as a ribbon and a
thin, forked tailfin. It has large eyes and mouth
and has no scales.
In Portugal it is found in the sea off Sesimbra
and also in the Madeira Islands and the Azores,
where it inhabits areas of great depth, between
200 and 1,600 m. It rises in the water column
during the night to feed on fish, cephalopods
and crustaceans. It spawns from October to
January. It has a long life cycle, slow growth
and low reproductive cycle, which makes it very
sensitive to changes in the environment.
It is fished with bottom longline that may be
more than 1 km long.

Despite the similarity in name with
the silver scabbardfish (Lepidopus caudatus),
these fish differ in much more than just the colour,
since they are in fact from different families.


Peso mínimo de captura:
N.Def.