Butterfish

Fact File: Common Name(s): Butterfish, Gunnel Scientific Name: Pholis gunnellus Usual Size: > 25cm UK Record Weights from rod/line: Shore: Boat: MAFF Minimum Size: Shore: Boat:

Identification: Small eel-like fish. Distinguished by a row of ocellated eye spots (9 - 15) underneath the long dorsal fin that runs the length of its body. Orange-brown. Similar species: Common Eel, and Eelpout  Zoarces viviparus. Breeding: Winter - spring. Eggs guarded by the male fish, intertidally (north) to 25 metres. Habitat: Benthic, shallow seas, intertidal except summer. Food: worms, small crustaceans like amphipods. Range: All British coasts. Common in the north and only occasionally found intertidally in the extreme south-west. Very common off some Scottish coasts. Additional Notes: Northern fish so unable to tolerate living on the shore during the summer, where it is common under stones in the spring and autumn. Often infected with the Black-spot disease Cryptocotyle lingua. Eaten by otters off Scottish coast. Mucus covered scale-less body is veryslippery, hence its name. Impossible to grab hold of by the inexperienced. Information wanted: Please send any records of this fish, with location, date, who discovered it, how it was identified, prevalence, common name and any other details to Shorewatch Project EMail 106127.206@compuserve.com. All messages will receive a reply.

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