name this fish

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Dave Kay

Contributor
Messages
148
Reaction score
6
Location
Indiana
# of dives
1000 - 2499
I know this looks like the head of a wobbegong shark but something is off, like to tail. Big eyes. Odd mouth. Out in the sand.
upload_2019-12-20_8-48-18.png
 
A stargazer of some sort. Where you found it is always helpful, as is size.
 
Area?

Looks like Lophius piscatorius.
 
Sure is a monkfish. I’ve never seen one in the water. Yummy, but keep your appendages away from the bitey bits.
 
Definitely a monkfish, also known as a goosefish here in New England. They are quite plentiful and buttf*$@ing ugly. Huge mouths. A football will fit sideways in their heavily toothed mouth. Rows of teeth that curve backwards. They get pretty big, 3 feet or more. Not very good swimmers. Remind me of chickens, they swim up and drop back down to the bottom. Some of the dives we did off Chatham, Mass. had so many of them on the sea floor you didn’t dare set your foot down. Nothing worse than seeing one at night
 
Forgot to mention, there is a pretty good market for the meat in their tails which are quite thick. Pretty much available in most of the fish markets locally. For years was considered a “trash fish” but now that stocks of other fish are down it’s being promoted. Sold as Monk Tails.
 
Forgot to mention, there is a pretty good market for the meat in their tails which are quite thick. Pretty much available in most of the fish markets locally. For years was considered a “trash fish” but now that stocks of other fish are down it’s being promoted. Sold as Monk Tails.

I’ve heard it referred to poor man’s lobster in the past.
 
A stargazer of some sort. Where you found it is always helpful, as is size.
this was on instagram so not sure where it was shot, but glad you dont think its a wobegong either
 
Area?

Looks like Lophius piscatorius.
thanks it sure does. I saw it on instagram, son had never seen it before.
 
Definitely a monkfish, also known as a goosefish here in New England. They are quite plentiful and buttf*$@ing ugly. Huge mouths. A football will fit sideways in their heavily toothed mouth. Rows of teeth that curve backwards. They get pretty big, 3 feet or more. Not very good swimmers. Remind me of chickens, they swim up and drop back down to the bottom. Some of the dives we did off Chatham, Mass. had so many of them on the sea floor you didn’t dare set your foot down. Nothing worse than seeing one at night


for sure thanks, Im a warm water diver so had never seen this, came across it on Instagram site
 

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