king of herrings
Regalecus glesne
Giant open-sea ribbon-shaped fish, reaching 800 cm. It has small commercial fishing and is seen mainly when stranded on beaches.
Also called: peixe-remo, pez remo, rey de los arenques, king of herrings
- maximum
- 800 cm
- record/max.
- 272.0 kg
- depth
- 20–200 m
who is the king of herrings
The oarfish is a fish of the family Regalecidae, with a very long, flattened, ribbon-shaped body. It reaches 800 cm and up to 272 kg. It lives in the open sea, in cold waters and at latitudes above 15°, mainly between 20 and 200 m deep, but can descend to 1,000 m. It feeds on krill, small fish and squid, sucking in water through its toothless mouth. Large adults have no tail fin, because they lose the back of the body, and sometimes strand on beaches. It has small commercial fishing and is listed as a sport fish.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the king of herrings.
fun facts
- Large adults lose the back of the body by autotomy, that is, they shed it themselves. The lost part does not grow back.
- Strandings tend to concentrate in certain areas and times of year.
identification
Ribbon-shaped body, silvery with bluish stripes and dark spots. The dorsal fin is carmine, and the pelvic fin has become a long, ribbon-shaped ray. In large specimens, the back of the body is usually cut off or healed, with no tail fin. For that reason, the ribbon shape and the carmine color of the dorsal fins are the best signs for recognizing it.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Occurs in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, in cold and temperate waters. In Latin America, there are records from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Cuba.
Habitat: Open sea, in cold and temperate waters, 20 to 200 m.
rules for the king of herrings
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It is harmless to handle. If it strands alive, return it to the sea carefully, without pulling it by the back of the body, which is usually injured or healed.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00102, b = 3.06; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Regalecus glesne (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Regalecus glesneNames by country and language.