The sealife cente in Blackpool is claiming a UK first in exhibiting a deepsea anglerfish of which they currently have 4 BBC News - Anglerfish on show at Blackpool aquarium But i am sure i have seen these fish on exhibit at the centre near Oban and there they were also called monkfish, am i mistaken? And if it is the same fish, feeding time makes for quite a display!
Judging from the photo, I'm not sure if this is a true deep-sea species. They have been kept at other UK coastal aquaria, fishermen occasionally dredge them up in their nets. They're very difficult to keep alive as they don't usually take to dead food. They produce what is commercially retailed as 'monkfish', which is confusing given that Angel sharks are also known as monkfish. However they both feed in the same way. Kiang - as you mention Oban, I suspect you're talking about Angel sharks, which are far larger and indeed do make a dramatic feeding display in captivity (when you can actually get them to feed).
Thanks for that Johnstoni, but i do think it was the anglerfish, haven't seen angel sharks on exhibit at the Oban centre, the anglerfish would have been on display 10-15 years ago.
the fish in the photo isn't a deepsea anglerfish but it is a species of anglerfish (of the family Lophiidae). It is the species commonly known in the UK as goosefish, or monkfish, or just simply as anglerfish.
deepsea anglerfish are abyssal fish of the suborder Ceratioidei. The fish which is the subject of this thread is not a deepsea anglerfish. The fish of this thread is Lophius piscatorius, an anglerfish of the family Lophiidae (of the suborder Lophioidei) which is commonly found in the coastal waters of Europe at depths of around twenty metres downwards to over 500 metres. They migrate to greater depths (2000 metres or so) for spawning.
