Sculpin | DE L'EAU À LA BOUCHE

Stocky elongated body with a plain but variable colour and is dotted or striped.

Large head with big eyes and a wide mouth.

Spines on the head’s operculum and on the gills and back.

During reproduction, the male’s belly becomes red with large white spots.

Name

Sculpin
Myoxocephalus scorpius

Type

Bottom fish

Other names

Short-spined sea scorpion, shorthorn sculpin, warty sculpin, father lasher, bull rout

Kitchen name

Sculpin

Resource status

Not determined

Consumption season

Fresh in summer and autumn.

SIZE:

15 to 30 cm, up to 60 cm.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

Up to 18 years.

LIFE CYCLE:

Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 2 years of age.

Spawning occurs near the end of November. The female will lay up to 60,000 eggs. The male is responsible for protecting the eggs over a three-month period, up until they hatch.

On the defensive

In addition to its spines, the sculpin has another very effective defence mechanism: it can modify its colour and camouflage with its environment.

On the seabed, down to 450 m depth.

On muddy or sandy sea bottoms or on beds of seaweed near the coast.

PREYS:

Crabs
Shrimp
Urchins
Small fish

PREDATORS:

Cod
Seals
Seabirds

Photograph of a sculpin over a pebble bed.

With its large head, sculpin can eat fish that are relatively large for its size.
Credit: Robert Baronet, photo taken in Exploramer’s aquariums, in 2010.

Voir l’image en plein écran

There is no direct fishing for sculpin in Quebec. It is sometimes accidentally captured with catches of other bottom feeders. It can be used as bait for larger fish or lobster, but it is still good for human consumption.

Sculpin is a Smarter seafood-listed species.

BENEFITS:

Source of protein.

LET’S COOK:

Delicate and tender white meat, much like that of cod or haddock.

Braised or oven-baked are the preferred methods of cooking. It is also very good in fish stews or chowders.

Careful, it stings

If you are going to fillet the fish, watch out for the spines. As well as hurting, the operculum on the head of the sculpin becomes poisonous during the reproductive period.

Species