An Introduction to the Main Producing Areas and Distribution of Ribbonfish
Ribbonfish, also known as cutlassfish, girdle fish, fat ribbonfish, oil ribbonfish, and tooth ribbonfish, has a laterally compressed, ribbon-like body that is silvery-gray, with pale gray dorsal and pectoral fins marked with very fine small spots and a black tail. The head is pointed with a large mouth, tapering gradually toward the tail. Its body height is 2 times the head length, and the total length is about 1 m. It is ferocious in nature and feeds mainly on mysis shrimp and squid. Let us now take a look at the distribution of ribbonfish producing areas!
The Distribution of Ribbonfish Producing Areas
Ribbonfish has a fairly wide distribution, occurring mainly in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It can be found in all coastal provinces of China and can be divided into two major groups, northern and southern. Northern ribbonfish are larger than southern ones. They overwinter in the southern Yellow Sea, migrate to the Bohai Sea in spring, forming the spring fishing season, and return in groups to their overwintering grounds in autumn, forming the autumn fishing season. Southern ribbonfish move north-south each year along the western edge of the East China Sea according to the season, making a northward reproductive migration in spring and a southward overwintering migration in winter. East China Sea ribbonfish have both a spring season and a winter season.
The Living Habits of Ribbonfish
Ribbonfish are poor swimmers. During the day they float in the middle layers of the seawater, and at night they descend to the seafloor. When at rest, the head points upward and the body is vertical, relying only on the waving of the dorsal and pectoral fins, with the eyes watching for movement above. If prey is detected, the dorsal fin vibrates rapidly, the body bends, and it lunges at the food. Ribbonfish have the trait of forming groups and lining up. Each spring when it warms up and the water temperature rises, ribbonfish swim in groups toward the shore, migrating from south to north to spawn, which is the fishing season. At the winter solstice, when the water temperature drops, they swim back toward deeper water to escape the cold.
The Variety Classification of Ribbonfish
1. Fork-tailed deep-sea ribbonfish: The fork-tailed deep-sea ribbonfish has a very elongated, laterally compressed, ribbon-like body, with an extremely long tail that gradually tapers toward the rear but does not end in a slender whip-like form. The head is narrow and long, with the top of the head nearly straight and the front end pointed. The snout is long and pointed, the eyes are medium-large, and the mouth is large and straight, with the lower jaw longer than the upper jaw. The teeth are well developed, sharp, laterally compressed and pointed, and sparsely arranged. The front of the upper jaw has 3 pairs of hook-shaped large canine teeth. It is distributed in the Indian and Pacific regions and the Atlantic region, in sea areas between 45°N-30°S.
2. Bussar's narrow-skulled ribbonfish: Bussar's narrow-skulled ribbonfish mainly inhabits areas near seamount ridges and occasionally swims into coastal waters. It feeds on medium to large fish such as bigeyes and round scads. It is distributed in the waters of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean and the Ryukyu waters of Japan in the northwestern Pacific. Juvenile fish were once caught off Xiaoliuqiu, Taiwan, China.
3. Striped narrow-skulled ribbonfish: The striped narrow-skulled ribbonfish is a demersal oceanic migratory fish that mainly inhabits areas near the steep slopes of the continental shelf and occasionally swims into coastal waters. It feeds on medium to large fish such as bigeyes and round scads. It is distributed in the Caribbean and other areas of the western Atlantic, the offshore waters of southern Brazil, and the Ryukyu waters of Japan and the East China Sea of China in the northwestern Pacific. This fish was once caught off eastern Taiwan, China.
4. Sand ribbonfish: The sand ribbonfish can inhabit depths of up to 100 m. It lacks pelvic fins and a caudal fin. Its color is a metallic, steel-like blue, with a white pointed slender portion, a pale anal margin, and usually a white caudal fin membrane. Both jaws are pointed and black, and the inside of the gill cover and the front part of the shoulder girdle are light black. The body length can reach 100 cm. It inhabits coastal waters, is carnivorous, and feeds on crustaceans, squid, fish, and so on. It can be used as a food fish. It is distributed along the northern coast of the Indian Ocean, east to Australia, north to the Ryukyu waters of Japan, and in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and other sea areas of China.
5. Japanese ribbonfish: The Japanese ribbonfish, also known as white ribbonfish and thin ribbonfish, is a migratory demersal fish of warm temperate waters. It generally inhabits coastal waters of the continental shelf near mud, sand, or muddy bottoms. It is distributed in the northwestern Pacific, from Japan and Taiwan, China, along the mainland coast to the South China Sea near Hong Kong, China, and other sea areas. It is produced throughout Taiwan, China.
6. South China Sea ribbonfish: The South China Sea ribbonfish is a migratory demersal fish of warm temperate waters. It generally inhabits waters near mud, sand, and muddy bottoms at depths between 60-100 m. It is distributed in the western Pacific, including Taiwan, China, the Philippines, the South China Sea, and other areas. In Taiwan, China it is mainly distributed in the southwestern, southern, and southeastern areas and the Penghu sea area.