Golden tilefish

Description

The great northern tilefish is a large deep-water fish of the tilefish family (Malacanthidae) from the western Atlantic. The species grows to about 1.25 metres and has a robust, blue-green to yellow-spotted body with a fleshy crest on the head. It lives most commonly around 200 metres over mud and sand bottoms, where it digs large burrows and tunnels that also shelter other animals. As a bottom predator it feeds on crabs, shrimps, molluscs, sea urchins and fishes. The tilefish grows slowly and becomes very old, making it vulnerable to overfishing; it is listed as Endangered (EN). It is a valued food fish and harmless to humans.