Q: While fishing near Ketchikan, Alaska, we caught what the guide called a ratfish. He said that it was a rare catch since they have only seen a few in recent years. He said that it was a deep-water fish seldom caught in the Inside Passage. He also stated that they have recently been catching fish that are difficult to identify, and when this occurs, they take the fish to the wildlife office for identification, often with no luck. According to the guide, it has only been within the past few years that these deep-water fish have been migrating into the passage. This very unusual fish had large green eyes, a rat-like tail and what looked like 24-karat gold-plated sides. The guide handled it with care during the release, saying it had a poisoned spike on its tail. Can you provide more details about this unusual catch?

Charles D. Eidschun
Clearwater, Florida

A: Yep, that's a spotted ratfish, Hydrolagus collie. This species reaches about 3 feet in length and ranges from the western Gulf of Alaska to southern Baja. You can find them anywhere from the surface to more than 3,100 feet deep, but most live in about 160 to 1,300 feet of water. In places like Puget Sound, ratfish move into very shallow water at night. I have seen schools of 50 to 75 fish over rocky reefs in the Inside Passage south of Ketchikan. One reason they are seldom caught — they mainly feed at night, eating clams, crabs and fish. Ratfish do have venomous spines at the front of their dorsal fins. The venom won't kill you but does hurt, so be careful handling this species. In the 19th century, ratfish were caught commercially in the Northwest, and early in the last century, their livers were rendered for oil to make lubricants. They taste pretty bad and are rarely eaten. — Milt Love