Grenadiers (fish)

Grenadiers or rattails are generally large, brown to black gadiform marine fish of the family Macrouridae. Found at great depths from the Arctic to Antarctic, members of this family were amongst the most abundant of the deep-sea fish.

The Macrourids form a large and diverse family with 28 extant genera recognized (well over half of the total species are contained in just three genera, Coelorinchus, Coryphaenoides, and Nezumia). They range in length from about 10 cm (3.9 in) in Hymenogadus gracilis to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in Albatrossia pectoralis. An important commercial fishery exists for the larger species, such as the giant grenadier and Coryphaenoides rupestris. The family as a whole may represent up to 15% of the deep-sea fish population.