Pass notesFishUnlike the vast majority of fish species, this North American bony fish is a vegetarian, which means it can be farmed more sustainably, say scientists. And it tastes good!
Name: Monkeyface prickleback.
Age: Millions of years in evolutionary terms; 166 years since it was classified biologically; 48 hours since it became a media sensation.
Appearance: No oil painting.
Characteristics: Up to 76cm (30in) long; weighs up to 2.7kg (6lb); has a distinctive ridge on its head; is found off the Pacific coast of North America; favours rocky areas close to the shore; can survive on land for up to 35 hours; lives up to 18 years (unless caught and cooked with garlic, spring onions and soy sauce).
Initial confusion to resolve: It is often called a monkeyface eel, but it is not an eel.
OK, don’t get so worked up. Sorry. Let’s just call it Cebidichthys violaceus for the sake of accuracy.
I think I prefer Monkeyface. Why are we interested in it? It could be the saviour of the world.
That sounds good. Is it making a late entry into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination? If only. No, its alleged world saviour status derives from the fact that it is one of only 5% of the world’s 34,000 fish species that are vegetarian, eating algae rather than plankton and crustaceans.
So what? The climate crisis means we have to eat less meat. Fish is a good alternative, but fish farming is hampered by the fact the fish themselves have to be fed. Breeding plant-eating fish “reduces pollution and costs less”, according to Joseph Heras, the lead researcher on the University of California, Irvine study that has alerted the world to the potential of Cebidichthys violaceus.
Let them eat monkeyface prickleback, as Marie Antoinette might have said. Indeed. It tastes good – “delicate and mild”, according to Prof Donovan German, another of the study’s authors – and is already a delicacy in upmarket restaurants in San Francisco.
What have German and his team done that is so significant? They have sequenced the genome of the monkeyface prickleback to explain how its digestive system works. That will make it easier to identify other fish that can be farmed sustainably. If you care to read the full report, Genomic and biochemical evidence of dietary adaptation in a marine herbivorous fish, it is published by the Royal Society.
I’d rather just eat the fish, if that’s OK? Of course. A word of warning, though. German has suggested on Twitter that reporting of the team’s findings is a touch OTT. “These headlines are getting out of control,” he says. “We NEVER said that C. violaceus could save the planet. Not once. Sensationalism at its finest.”
Not to be confused with: The psychedelic frogfish, the whitemargin stargazer, the fangtooth, Nigel Farage.
Do say: “My tech friends in Silicon Valley tell me monkeyface and mussel cioppino is amazing.”
Don’t say: “I think I’ll stick to beef wellington.”
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