Ridge scaled rattail
The ridge scaled rattail[2] or ridge-scaled grenadier,[3] Macrourus carinatus, is a species of deep-water fish in the family Macrouridae.[1][2] It has southern circumglobal distribution in temperate to subantarctic waters (34°S–65°S) and is found in the Southern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and in the Southern Ocean[1][2] at depths of about 200–1,200 m (660–3,940 ft).[2] Description and life historyMacrourus carinatus can reach 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in total length[2][3] and about 36 cm (14 in) in pre-anal length.[3] The eyes are relatively large. The snout is short and moderately pointed. Coloration is medium brown to somewhat straw color, with darker, sometimes even blackish fins.[2] In the waters of the Falkland Islands, females reach 50% maturity at 21 cm (8.3 in) pre-anal length and 14 years of age. Males reach 50% maturity at 16 cm (6.3 in) pre-anal length and 12 years of age. Spawning occurs throughout the year but peaks during the austral autumn (April–July). Females also have a larger asymptotic pre-anal length than males, 31 and 25 cm (12.2 and 9.8 in), respectively. Maximum recorded age is 53 years.[3] FisheriesMacrourus carinatus is a commercial fishery species.[2][3] Targeted fishery along the Patagonian continental slope reached a peak of 50,000 tonnes in 1988 but declined precipitously thereafter. At present, it is treated as a by-catch species that is not allowed to exceed 10% of daily catches in weight.[3] References
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