North Atlantic first for Newlyn! - a white lipped Australian monk fish.

Lophius piscatorius

Here is a typical Northern Atlantic monk or angler fish Lophius piscatorius showing it's 'fishing rod' that it uses to attract its prey.........

Lophius pistakus

contrast that to the white-lipped Southern Atlantic or Australian angler fish Lophius pistakus which has eveolved to lay on the sea bed upside down with its lower lip protruding thereby disguising itself as a dead or decaying fish. This is the the first time one of these fish has ever been recorded this far north - a sure sign of the shift in sea temperatures fishermen are noticing in the North Atlantic. Newquay Aquarium were gutted to find that the fish had been taken aboard living but, despite using the shellfish tank, the crew were unable to keep the specimen alive till the end of their trip.


Monk fish are hugely important in the Western Approaches for the South West fleets. Local Newlyn beamers, Twilight and Billy Rowney completed another annual survey for CEFAS in November last year, the results of which can be seen in this publication.