Oilfish

Oilfish
File:Ruvettus pretiosus (oilfish).gif
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Gempylidae
Genus:	Ruvettus
Species:	R. pretiosus
Binomial name
Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco, 1833

The oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, is a snake mackerel, the only species in the genus Ruvettus. It is found in tropical and temperate seas of the world, at depths of between 100 and 800 m. Its length is between 80 cm and 2 m.

The oilfish is similar to the silver gemfish but has a smaller mouth and eyes and a lower more jagged first dorsal fin. It is covered with small spiny scales and there is a row of small pores between each scale row.

Coloration is dark purple-brown on the back with a pale belly, and the pupil of the eye is brightly phosphorescent.

The flesh is very oily and although edible it is thought by some that the oil is a strong intestinal irritant. Japan and Italy have imposed an import ban on oil fishes. Australia has also banned oil fishes from being sold as food.

Hong Kong PARKnSHOP Oilfish controversy

Hong Kong's PARKnSHOP supermarket was selling oilfish as "cod fish (oilfish)" in its stores. Consumers ate the fish believing it is codfish, then suffered oily diahhrea as a result. Afterwards 14 complaints were filed against the supermarket chain, leading to an investigation by the Centre for Food Safety. ParkNShop has denied responsibility, claiming the fish is safe for human consumption. Nonetheless, the chain has since stopped selling the fish product. [1]

References

• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ruvettus pretiosus". FishBase. February 2006 version.
• Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
• FishBase entry