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🌊 Marine Data Deficient 🎣 Game Fish 🌡️ Deep-water 🎣 Game Fish

Wreckfish

Polyprion americanus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Max Length
210 cm
Max Weight
100.0 kg
Lifespan
80 yrs
Trophic Level
4.1
Depth
40–600 m
Climate
Deep-water
Resilience
Low
Vulnerability
78.00/100
Typical Length
80 cm
Depth Zone
deep-water

📖 Overview

Adults prefer to inhabit caves and shipwrecks . Juveniles congregate below floating objects . Usually solitary. Feed on large crustaceans, cephalopods and benthic fishes . Spawn in the summer . Are primary gonochorists . Marketed fresh or frozen; eaten steamed, fried, broiled, boiled, microwaved and baked . Minimum depth reported from Ref. 6633.

Scientific Name
Polyprion americanus
Authority
Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Deep-water
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
IUCN Status
DD
Max Length
210 cm
Max Weight
100 kg
Lifespan
80 years
Depth Range
40–600 m
Latitude
55°S – 70°N
Trophic Level
4.1
Resilience
Low
Vulnerability
78.00/100
Migration
Oceanodromous
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10. Bluish grey above, paler below with a silvery sheen; fins blackish brown . Juveniles have black blotches on head and body . Body tall, compressed. Big mouth with big head and a rough bony ridge across upper part of the gill cover .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Wreckfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

small fish
crustaceans
cephalopods

🥚 Reproduction

Size at Maturity
77.9cm TL

Primary gonochorists .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; oceanodromous ; depth range 40 - 600 m , usually 100 - 200 m . Deep-water; 70°N - 55°S, 82°W - 179°E South Africa (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine 🌑 Deep Water ⬇️ Benthic
Migration
Oceanodromous
Trophic Level
4.1±0.64
🧍 Solitary
Food Items

large crustaceans, cephalopods and benthic fishes (Ref

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.01318 × L3 (TL)
Max TL
210cm
Max Weight
100,000g
Dorsal Spines
11
Dorsal Rays
12
Anal Spines
3
Anal Rays
9

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

IUCN Category
Data Deficient
Assessment Date
2003

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
Low
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
78.00/100
Very High vulnerability
Trophic Level
4.1
Apex / Top predator
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
Climate Zone
Deep-water
Latitude Range
70°N – 55°S
Described By
Bloch & Schneider, 1801

🎣 Angling Guide

Difficulty
Beginner
Fight Rating
strong pulls with head-shakes
Best Seasons
spring,summer,fall
Best Time
incoming tide, dawn and dusk
Line Weight
15-30
Rod Type
medium-heavy spinning
Hook Size
2/0-5/0
Catch & Release
✓ Recommended
Best Months
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Techniques
bottom fishing popping cork soft plastics live bait
Bait & Lures
live shrimp cut mullet soft plastic paddle-tails popping corks
Recommended Tackle
  • medium-heavy 7ft spinning rod
  • 30-50 lb braid
  • fluorocarbon leader
Where to Find Them
  • grass flats
  • oyster bars
  • marsh drains
  • deeper channel edges
Tips & Tricks
Popping cork technique attracts fish from distance. Fish moving tides.
Catch & Release Tips

Use barbless hooks, minimise air exposure, and revive fish head-first in current before release.

Regulations Summary

⚠️ Slot limits protect breeding-size fish. Verify daily bag limits.

📊 Population Dynamics

Year Region Index Notes
- - -

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Language Common Names
🇬🇧English Atlantic Wreckfish · Bass · Bass Groper · Cherna · Groper · Hapuka · Hapuka Cod · Longnose Hapuku · Moeone · Sea Bass · Sea Rock Perch · Stone Bass · Wreck Bass · Wreck-fish · Wreckfish · Wrek Fish · stone-bass · stonefish
🏳️Catalan dot · famfre · gerna · pàmpol rascàs
🌍CYM Pysgod Broc Môr · pysgodyn broc môr
🇩🇰Danish Atlantisk vragfisk · Vragfisk · wrackfisch
🇩🇪German Atlantischer Wrackbarsch · Wrackbarsch · Wrackfisch
🌍ELL Βλάχος
🇫🇮Finnish Hylkyahven
🇫🇷French Cernia · Cernier · Cernier Atlantique · Cernier commun · Cernio Escourpena · Franfré Rascas · Lucerna · Mérot Gris · Mérou · Mérou Fanfré · Mérou de Bosques · Peskar Goat · Poisson de Bois · Péro-mérot · cernier brun · cernier de l’Atlantique
🌍HEB צינון אמריקני
🌍ISL Blákarpi · Rekaldsfiskur
🇮🇹Italian Cernia di fondale · cernia di fondali · lucerna
🌍LIT amerikinė rudoji černa
🌍MLT Cerna · Cerna tal-fond · Dott tal-fond · Hanzir · Hanzir tac-cimi · Hanzir tal-fond · Hanzir tal-qiegh · Mananni
🇳🇱Dutch Wrakbaars · reuzenbaars · wrakvis
🌍NNO vrakfisk
🌍NOB vrakfisk
🇳🇴Norwegian Vrakfisk
🇵🇱Polish Wrakon
🇵🇹Portuguese Cherna · Cherne · Cherne-americano · cherne-ferro · cherne-poveiro
🇷🇺Russian полиприон
🌍SLV Globinska kirnja
🇪🇸Spanish Bacalao · Cherna · Cherne · Chernia · Chernoda · Girom · Jorna · Mero · Mero Chernia · Mero de roca · Pampol
🌍SQI Kerr fundi · peshku i anijeve të fundosura
🌍SRP Kirnja glavulja
🇸🇪Swedish Vrakabborre · Vrakfisk
🌍TUR Iskorpit hanisi · iskorpit

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 35 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

👥 Community & Contribute

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