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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Tub gurnard: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Chelidonichthys lucerna

Tub gurnard search for prey over soft bottoms. To begin, offer bait near the substrate rather than aiming for rocky holes. The trailing-hook presentation is a starting point drawn from worm-fishing practices; its settings need confirmation in the area.

Catalogue names : Tub gurnard. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Documented presence includes: eastern Atlantic, from Norway to Cape Blanc ; Mediterranean Sea ; Black Sea.

  • Documented presence : eastern Atlantic, from Norway to Cape Blanc
  • Documented presence : Mediterranean Sea
  • Documented presence : Black Sea

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Chelidonichthys lucerna has an armoured head and large pectoral fins whose undersides have a bluish edge. Free fin rays help it move along the bottom and detect prey; its variable overall colour is not enough to recognise it.

Other gurnards also have colourful fins. Observe the snout, pectoral length and scale appearance. Do not force a fin open for a photograph; a clearly visible profile already provides clues.

Habitat

It inhabits sand, mud and gravel, sometimes near estuaries. Its coastal presence varies; a young fish encountered near the shore does not prove that all fish are accessible from the beach throughout the year.

Diet

Young fish eat crustaceans and worms; adults take fish and cephalopods among other prey, with seasonal variation.

Behaviour

Crustaceans, worms, fish and cephalopods are among its food resources. The free fin rays help it explore the substrate, but the fish also swims: there is no need to keep rubbing the weight along the bottom.

Indicative biological size

Most often it does not exceed around 50 cm according to DORIS; this is a described usual upper size, not an average or a legal size limit.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. Choose a clear soft-bottomed area. Prepare a terminal weight and a low trailing hook snood, with a single hook and a small portion of permitted marine worm.
  2. Lower or cast under control, then locate the bottom without letting a large amount of line go slack. The bait must be able to work near the substrate; a tangled trailing snood tests no presentation.
  3. From a boat, follow a short, controlled drift. If the line angles strongly, retrieve and reposition; from shore, check that the weight holds without rolling towards rocks.
  4. At a confirmed bite, strike with restraint, then retrieve steadily. This sequence adapts a worm-fishing account that mentions gurnards; it is not a protocol specifically evaluated for tub gurnard.

A distinctive feature

It can produce grunting sounds by using muscles to vibrate its swim bladder.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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