Pink cusk-eel

[1] They have a small head and body with pinkish or orangish cast with irregular dark brown to gray blotches and mottlings and are whitish ventrally.

[8] In the month-long NORFANZ Expedition of 2003 which was examining the biodiversity of the seamounts and slopes of the Norfolk Ridge near New Zealand, a single specimen weighing 6.3 kg (13 lb 14 oz) was collected.

[6] This species feeds on crustaceans such as the lobster krill Munida gregaria, isopods (Cirolana spp., Serolidae), stomatopods (Pterygosquilla armata) and gammarid amphipods.

[5] It has been caught on the bottom during the spawning season of the blue grenadier (Macruronus novaezelandiae) while feeding on the species.

[12] This species is of major importance to commercial fisheries, with catches in 2011 amounting to 38,451 tonnes (42,385 short tons).

[1] G. blacodes is a species that has great farming potential in Chile, due to the exceptional quality of its flesh and high commercial value.

[12] This fish supports an important commercial fishery in Chile where it is exploited over an extensive geographic area.

[7] It has been intensively fished since the late 1970s between Talcahuano (36°44′S) and south of Cape Horn 'Cabo de Hornos' (57°00′S), however, fisheries logbooks indicate that catches take place mostly in the austral zone (41°28′–57°00′).

[14] The ling, Genypterus blacodes, is an important and abundant commercial species on the New Zealand continental shelf and also supports fisheries off Chile, Argentina, Falkland Islands, and Australia.

[15] Little is known regarding the nutritional requirements and feed ingredients, which has been recognized as one of the main critical limitations to be overcome for aquafeed development.

Pink Cusk-eel
Otolith cross-section of a male ling
Pink cusk-eel hiding under a sponge