Red Gurnard

The red gurnard has a large angular head which does not have a deep occipital groove but has a steep snout, which is elongated forward with a flattened, two lobed rostrum covered in denticles. The first dorsal fin contains 9 or 10 spines, the first of which is serrated to the front and the second spine is not elongated. the second dorsal fin has 17 or 19 soft rays while the anal fin contains between 16 and 18 soft rays. The pectoral fins have 2 or 3 enlarged, separate rays. The scales in the lateral line resemble plates having been lengthened vertically. There are no scales on the breast and the front part of the belly. The colour is bright red on the upper body, pale on the lower body with pink pelvic fins. The anal fin is white at its base while the pectoral and dorsal fins are yellowish.

The red gurnard is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from southern Scotland, although it has been recorded infrequently from Norway, south to Mauritania, including the Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands. It is found throughout the Mediterranean Sea and in the Black Sea. This is a demersal species which has been recorded from depths between 15 and 400 m (49 and 1,312 ft), although the usual range is 30 and 250 m (98 and 820 ft). It is typically recorded on habitats dominated by sand or gravel, although it has also been found in rocky and muddy habitats.

The red gurnard is not commercially exploited in its Atlantic range, although it may be caught and eaten as bycatch. In England, red gurnard is fished off the Cornwall coast and is of growing though still minor economic interest. In the Mediterranean, it is of minor commercial interest. Red gurnards are regularly present in fish markets in Spain, Morocco, Italy, Cyprus and Egypt, and sometimes in France, England, Greece, Ireland and Turkey, although it is rarely marketed in Tunisia. The catch is sold fresh, chilled and frozen.