Common along deep ledges from 250 to 750 feet but
now depleted due to overfishing. Robust
purplish brown body with a bluntly rounded head and large mouth, the upper
jaw bone extending past a vertical line below the front edge of the eye. Feeds upon pelagic tunicates, small fishes and
planktonic crustaceans. The most important bottom fish popular for
its versatile white flesh and delicate flavor, it is a member of the Deep
Seven. Larger and more
palatable than the kalekale.
East Africa to Japan, Hawai'i
and French Polynesia. |