Identification
One of the most bizarre fish in the North Sea: an enormously flattened head wider than the body, with a huge upward-facing mouth full of sharp teeth. The first dorsal spine is modified into a fishing rod with lure (illicium). Brown to grey with fringed skin edges. Reaches 200 cm.
Behavior & ecology
A master ambush predator. Buried in the bottom, it waits for prey attracted by the wiggling lure. The mouth opens in a fraction of a second, sucking in sizeable prey. Lives at 20 to 1000 meters on sand and mud.
In the Netherlands
Found in the North Sea, especially deeper parts. Commercially very valuable: the tail provides the premium product 'monkfish tail', prized in haute cuisine for its firm, lobster-like flesh.
