Bearded Rockling

This may be a very silly question, so you are allowed laugh, just not out loud, remember I am just entering my second year fishing,
What are bearded rockling, I'm assuming that the 3 and 5 bearded varieties are just cousins, but are they a species of their own or are they (very) immature Ling which I've caught from a boat?

All different species and just to add to the confusion there is also a shore rockling.

Heres a pic of the beards on one I got the other nite.

beards.jpg

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right lads, i'm gonna finally put all the arguing over the rockling species to rest. i noticed in the species hunt section there is great debate over identifing the rockling every year. some of us are digging our heels in on our own personal beliefs about how to id them. i too have fell foul of thinking i'm right and others are wrong so far i've spent over 8 hours researching the different species and have downloaded loads of pics and info off marine biology sites and university web sites. i'm gonna resize all the pics and post the findings in this thread in the next 2 days. i know it's gonna put a few noses out of joint, but please don't argue with me as i will reference all the sources from where the pics and info will come from. so if anyone has a problem with what they are gonna read or see in pics you will be able to contact the marine biologists and university professors and argue your point that you think you are right and they are wrong. as the old addage says "don't shoot the messanger" so far the research has already proved some of my past id's to be incorrect and i'm sure i won't be the only one. but i'm man enough to admit when i'm wrong and eat a bit of humble pie. like i've said before, this old fishing lark is indeed a steep learning curve

good man alan!!!

a ling only has one beard and rockling are a completely different colour so what i am literally trying to say is that they are completely different species.

thanks for the info so far, looking forward to seeing alans "difinitive ID guide" Got another good look at the three bearded rocklings, caught 8 of them this evening, 21- 33cm, kind of cute looking things in their own way, if thats possible.

you havent picked up much then last cast if you think you caught 8, 3 beard rockling - very unlikely - in my experience 3 bearded rockling are fairly rare - only appear in singles and usually over mixed rough ground - usually over 30cm

you most likely caught shore rockling - with a chance 1 may have been a 3 bearded rockling

alans guide should answer your id problems

3 beards - normally shore rockling
5 beards - 5 bearded rockling

youll know when you get a 3 bearded rockling it will be big!!!

This site will help you last cast lad....

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aquarium/inde ... edrockling

ok lads here it goes, it's taken a bit longer to research than i thought seeing as the bloody experts can't seem to agree either on some points regarding a positive id on these wee guys. i'll give a brief overview on the rockling as a species and then go into detail to each individual fish. i've focused on the 4 most likely to be encountered in our waters:

3 BEARDED ROCKLING (gaidropsarus vulgarus)
5 BEARDED ROCKLING (ciliata mustela)
NORTHERN ROCKLING (ciliata septentrionalis)
SHORE ROCKLING (gaidropsarus mediterraneus)

the order to which they belong is gadiformes (cod and ling). the family that they belong to is lotidae (hakes and burbots). their class is actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes).

rockling are relitavely shy nocturnal creatures who prefere the safety of cracks in rocks and thick kelp for cover. they also hide amongst seaweed. they use a pair of elongated, feeler like pelvic fins beneath the head to prop themselves up while resting. their most curious feature is it's first dorsal fin, which moves constantly with a strange rippleing motion. when observed up close in an aquarium you can see it in a depression in the fishes back just behind the head. the front of the dorsal fin has a spike (fin ray) just behind the rest of the fin, which is a fringe of short rays that emerges from the groove running along the fishes back. the rapid undulations of this fin, moving around 3 or 4 beats per second, create a current of water across it. it has around 12,000 nerve fibres and is densely covered with between 3 million and 6 million sensory cells, which detect chemicals in the water, giving the fish a keen sense of taste. there are also other taste buds on other fins and on the barbules, which feel the fish's surroundings. these senses help the fish to identify and locate it's food, which, when the fish is close enough, is sucked into it's mouth with lightning speed. adults eat crabs, small crustaceans, molluscs, small fish, algae, seaweeds and occasionally polychaete worms. they spawn offshore from winter to summer, depending on species and location. (in ireland the 5 bearded rockling breeds from feb-may). the eggs are buoyant and float in the surface waters (pelagic). once hatched the tiny larvae stay near the surface for several months, often in dense shoals known as 'mackerel midge' because they are a favourite meal for this fish. a large proportion of them at this stage are eaten by other fish, but the ones that survive will head for the sea bed when they have reached 4-6cm in size, where they begin to colour and take up a benthic life. not much is known about the rockling enemies due to their shy secretive nature, but congers and large fish in general are probably their main predators.

we'll start with the 2 of the easiest rockling to identify. the 5 bearded rockling (ciliata mustela) and the northern rockling (ciliata septentrionalis). the reason that they are easily identifyable is that they both have 5 barbules. 1 on the chin and 4 on the upper lip (snout). but you can tell them apart as only the northern rockling has an additonal row of small barbules present on the upper lip as shown in the picture below. they will come in a range of colours and shades due to their geographical, enviromental and dietary differences. but the barbules never lie and will always give a positive i.d.

now we move onto the 2 most hotly debated rocklings. the 3 bearded rockling (gaidropsarus vulgarus) and the shore rockling (gaidropsarus mediterraneus)

3 bearded rockling (gaidropsarus vulgaris)
MORPHOLOGY: first dorsal ray followed by a row of small, fleshy filaments. colour varies from dusky to pale. fin colouration varies geographically in the western atlantic, with southern specimens having more dark blotches than northern ones. one barbule on lower jaw and 2 on the snout. large chocolate brown spots on head and body. other sources list it as having a short blunt head.

shore rockling (gaidropsarus mediterraneus)
MORPHOLOGY: first dorsal fin followed by a row of small, fleshy filaments. colour varies, brown sometimes reddish and with a vermiculated or mottled pattern dorsally. paler ventrally. the median fin borders dark. one barbule on the lower jaw and 2 on the snout. marbled colouration on the back. other sources list it as having a narrow head with dark blotches with a dark backround.

i, like many others have always thought the classic 3 beardy was dark chocolate coloured blotches on a pale yellow/ orange backround(see 3 bearded rockling pic 1 and 2). but as mentioned in the sources their geographical, enviromental and dietary conditions can also play a part in how they are coloured as they grow into adulthood. it was when i found the other 3 beardy pics that i too realized i had been miss identifying some of my catches.( see 3 bearded rockling pics 3 and 4) they lack that yellowish/orange backround and distinctive chocolate spots but are identifyed a 3 BEARDED ROCKLING. and so this seems to be where the debate lies. the pics of my own shore rockling 1-4 were caught at the same mark as the pics A-D. up until now i would have said A-D were shore rockling, but after the 3 bearded rockling pics (3 and 4) i'm gonna say they're 3 beardys. i'm not sure how much this resolves the situation but i hope it does throw a bit more light on the subject. and i'll add a few more pics in an attempt to help anyone i.d. them for the future.

it's worth remembering that where a fish lives and what it eats in the sea can have a dramatic impact on it's markings and colouration. take the humble cod as an example. standard migratory cod have that distinctive sandy yellowy/green colour as they spend most of their lives over sand banks but a non migratory red reef cod who chooses to live among the iodine rich kelp can be almost scarlet in colour due to it's enviroment and diet. there are a wealth of contributing factors that can come into play as a juvenile fish matures, so it's not as simple as black and white.

SOURCES:
SEA ANGLING IRELAND -the fish- three bearded rockling
http://www.fishbase.org species summary
canterbury christ church university geographical & life sciences
dive magazine, british beasts: rocklings
collins gem guide, fresh and saltwater fish
philip's guide to sea shores and shallow seas of britain and northern europe
central fisheries board catch of the week 2006
encylopedia of marine life of britain and ireland habitas.org.uk marinelife species. ulster museum sciences
the concise encylopedia of fishing. gareth purnell, alan yates, chris dawn

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more pics

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more pics

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last pics

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Nice one Al alot of time and effort put in there .I would have put the last 6 pictures as shore rockling ,though under-water shots tend to make the colours looks different , all open to debate though , the rockling issue might have been resolved at last by you , as I'm going blue in the face trying to explain the differences to people .

brilliant Al, good reading and just goes to show the difference in the 3b rockling and the variance in the shore rockling. again brilliant write and photos

you havent picked up much then last cast if you think you caught 8, 3 beard rockling - very unlikely - in my experience 3 bearded rockling are fairly rare - only appear in singles and usually over mixed rough ground - usually over 30cm

you most likely caught shore rockling - with a chance 1 may have been a 3 bearded rockling

alans guide should answer your id problems

3 beards - normally shore rockling
5 beards - 5 bearded rockling

youll know when you get a 3 bearded rockling it will be big!!!

Ok so it seems that the fish I have been catching are shore rockling (although the biggest one was a lot fatter than the rest), but hey they had 3 beards! I guess I thought that made it self explanetary.
MASSIVE THANKS TO ALAN that was a lot of work and very usefull, thanks to all for your help. This just means that I'll have to head out fishing again soon to nab em all!

well presented AL, you must have deprived yerself of a fishing trip to get this info up, hats off to you,
i bet we'll still have ?'s about rocklings, myself included :L
and i caught my first in the 70's.... (not sure what type though )

cheers lads, i remember what it was like when we started out sea fishing 3 years ago. we could'nt have told the difference between a coalie, pollack or whiting. we thought they were all the same fish but with the help and guidance from many site members we've gone from strength to strength. and now it's time to put a bit back in. we would'nt be where we are now if it was'nt for SEA ANGLING IRELAND and all the kind people who post reports and offer advice in the forums. the mods work tirelessy (for free) to keep the site running smoothly and it's a job well done it just feels good that we can pass on a bit of what we have learnt to others who are just starting out. just remember, no question is ever too daft to ask. and there is always someone willing to provide an answer. thats what makes S.A.I. the goldmine of information that we all know and love.
so tight lines lads, and keep catching fish. you just never know whats out there

Yep, nice one indeed, some good research there.

Great reasearch Al,

Not wanting to start a riot or heated debate. Just my 2p's worth.

Going by the decsriptions for the three beards and shore rocklings I would have put photos a-d as shore rocklings

Reasons

1. 3 Beard dusky to pale Shore Rockling brown to redish.
2. Shore Rockling vermiculated or mottled pattern dorsally.
3. 3 Beard Large chocolate brown spots on head and body Shore rockling marbled colouration on the back.

Look forward to hearing others thoughts.