The Madeiran smooth-head (Schedophilus medusophagus) is a deep-sea fish species found in the Atlantic Ocean, particularly around the waters of Madeira and the eastern Atlantic. Characterized by its smooth, scaleless head and silvery body, this species typically inhabits depths between 200 and 1,000 meters. The Madeiran smooth-head is not a primary target of large-scale commercial fisheries, but it is often caught as bycatch in deep-sea trawling operations. The top countries involved in harvesting this species include Spain, Portugal (notably Madeira), and occasionally France, due to their active deep-sea fishing fleets operating in the Northeast Atlantic. While the Madeiran smooth-head does not support a major fishery, it contributes to the mixed-species catches landed by these countries, which have a long history of exploiting deep-sea resources in the region.
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Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.