[3][4][5] The Acadian redfish was first formally described in 1854 by the American physician and zoologist David Humphreys Storer with the type locality given as the harbor at Provincetown, Massachusetts.

The two species can be distinguished by the number of soft rays in the anal fin, internal examination of the gas bladder, or by genetic testing.

[10] The Acadian redfish is native to the waters of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and its range extends from Virginia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia, western Greenland and Iceland.

[2] Due to its slow growth rate, low fecundity, harmless nature, tendency to "hit almost any bait", and being considered a great food fish, the Acadian redfish was classified as Endangered by the IUCN in 1996.

[1][4][9] However, due to conservation efforts, the redfish population has rebounded, and in 2012 the species was described as fully rebuilt, sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S.