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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Red gurnard: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Chelidonichthys cuculus

Red gurnard explore the bottom with free pectoral rays. Bait fishing close to the substrate can be tried as an adaptation of mixed-species angling; it is not a targeted protocol validated on every coast.

Catalogue names : Red 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: northeastern Atlantic, from southern Norway to Mauritania ; Mediterranean Sea.

  • Documented presence : northeastern Atlantic, from southern Norway to Mauritania
  • Documented presence : Mediterranean 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 cuculus has chevron-like folds along its lateral line. Compare them with the smoother tub gurnard and the grey gurnard’s dark dorsal blotch; red colour alone is insufficient.

Habitat

The north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean continental shelf, over sand, gravel or rock. For a first attempt, a clear soft-bottomed patch makes the rig easier to control.

Diet

Invertebrates, especially crustaceans, also cephalopods and gastropods; bottom-dwelling fish.

Behaviour

Its free rays help detect prey in sediment. The suggested rig stays near the bottom without ploughing it; a movement of the rod tip can also come from the weight.

Indicative biological size

Around 40 cm on average according to DORIS; a biological indication, not a legal size limit.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. With the person in charge of the boat, choose a short drift over open bottom. Rig a terminal weight and one low single-hook snood.
  2. Present a small piece of permitted marine worm with the point free. This arrangement adapts mixed-species bottom fishing reported by IFI; settings remain local.
  3. Lower while watching the line and briefly contact bottom. Follow the pass without dragging into obstacles; retrieve if the rig is no longer controllable.
  4. At a distinct bite, make contact and retrieve steadily. Land the fish carefully and compare its features before recording the species.

A distinctive feature

Its free pectoral rays serve both movement along the bottom and tactile exploration.

Sources and review

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

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