Eelpouts are a diverse family of elongated, bottom-dwelling fish (family Zoarcidae) found primarily in cold and temperate marine waters of the Northern Hemisphere, especially the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. These fish are not typically targeted by large-scale commercial fisheries, but they are frequently caught as bycatch in trawl and longline fisheries targeting other demersal species. The top eelpout fishing countries include Russia, Norway, and Iceland, where deep-sea fishing fleets operate extensively in cold northern waters. In these countries, eelpouts are sometimes processed for fish meal or used locally as food, though their economic value is generally lower compared to more popular species like cod or haddock. The fishing industry for eelpouts is relatively small and often overshadowed by the harvest of more commercially valuable species, but their presence in catches reflects the broad biodiversity of northern marine ecosystems and the adaptability of fishing fleets in these regions.
| Rank | Country | Metric Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian Federation | 1 |
Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.