Fishmarket in Limerick

Hi all,

not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll ask anyway.
Saturday mornings I always head in to the Market in Limerick to get some fresh fish (haddock mostly), last Saturday was a bit late and they were almost out of stuff, but when I asked them what they had left they had (apart from hake which I did get)

-Skate
-Monkfish.

Can anyone clear up for once and for all, is a monkfish the same as an angler fish? Because I would have said 100% what they had were angler fish. Small, squat and black, ugly as sin. I always thought a monkfish was an angel shark and more pale in colour?
As for the "skate", I have never seen one in real life but they looked like photos I have seen - kinda like a ray but very pale.
But they were small, more like a smallish sized ray. So I thought maybe it was a white skate as common skate grow huge. Are skate not a protected species?

Angler fish are sold as monkfish, which leads to alot of confusion. and rays are sold as skate, even though there is a huge variety of rays, but jo public would never know the difference so it's all under one generalised name.

Hi Nullpointer, as Ronald said monk and angler are one of the same and thats what the lads have in the market, those lads can have some selection of fish at times

Regards

Seamus

Oh for sure, they have a really great selection if you get there early enough, and in terms of value for money they're much better than the fish shop, plus the stuff is always dead fresh.

I've seen the following species
Pollack
Coalfish
Hake
Haddock
Whiting
Plaice
Ray / Skate
Dogfish
Angler/Monkfish
Gurnard
Ling
Sole
Squid
Prawns
Mussells

the hake they had on Saturday were huge - several kilos, ulgy feckers but bloody tasty. Can they be caught from the shore?

Hi Nullpointer, as Ronald said monk and angler are one of the same and thats what the lads have in the market, those lads can have some selection of fish at times

Regards

Seamus

They're not the same. As he said "angler fish is sold as monkfish". They are separate species. Most people wouldn't know the difference, which is why fishmongers can sell angler fish and say its monkfish, as monkfish commands a premium price.

Hi Nullpointer, as Ronald said monk and angler are one of the same and thats what the lads have in the market, those lads can have some selection of fish at times

Regards

Seamus

They're not the same. As he said "angler fish is sold as monkfish". They are separate species. Most people wouldn't know the difference, which is why fishmongers can sell angler fish and say its monkfish, as monkfish commands a premium price.

My mistake, just looked this one up, and your spot on Bradan, no wonder they sell them as monk as said premium price

Regards

Seamus