Hexagrammidae

Hexagrammidae 

a family of marine fish of the order Scleroparei. The body is covered with small scales. Most species have two dorsal fins; however, Pleurogrammus has only one. There are one to five lateral stripes. The body usually measures no more than 0.5 m in length, although some species are as long as 1.5 m. The Hexagrammidae are encountered in the North Pacific. There are seven genera, encompassing 13 species. In the seas of the Soviet Far East there are seven species of the genera Hexagrammus, Pleurogrammus, and Agrammus.

The majority of Hexagrammidae inhabit the bottom of the ocean near the shore, but the atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) and Pleurogrammus azonus also live in the open sea. The eggs are deposited on stony surfaces in places with strong currents. Pleurogrammus are commercially significant in the USSR, while the lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) is important in North America. The flesh of Hexagrammidae is used fresh, smoked, or canned.

REFERENCE

Rutenberg, E. P. “Obzor ryb semeistva terpugovykh.” Trudy Instituta Okeanologii AN SSSR, 1962, vol. 59.