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Q: Several of these fish were hiding under my boat while we shark fished off New York, 30 miles southeast of Moriches Inlet, Long Island, in about 180 feet of water. They ranged from 4 to 10 inches or so; their skin was very slimy. Every time we shook the chum bag, they would dart out and steal a piece. Can you ID them?

Ralph Ranghelli
Center Moriches, New York

A: Your mystery fish are barrel-fishes, Hyperoglyphe perciformes, family Centrolophidae. Their size, 4 to 8 inches, makes them juveniles, which commonly congregate at or near the surface, often in association with drifting flotsam or other objects (like boats). Adults live at great depths over the continental slope or in submarine canyons. Barrelfish may occur from Grand Banks and Nova Scotia to Key West, most commonly south of Cape Cod. This is not a well-known species: Reproductive habits, eggs and larvae all remain undescribed. It's been my experience that they can be devilishly hard to catch on hook and line, but you apparently had better luck. There is little information on their culinary qualities, though Sport Fishing's editor-in-chief, Doug Olander, has eaten them on many occasions and says the meat is excellent. He's found adult barrelfish of 10 to 20 pounds to very aggressively strike jigs or baits dropped into 500 to 900 feet of water around offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.   - Mike Fahay