The Assfish

By Jack Brummet

The species Acanthonus armatus appeared only 10 years ago off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia.  Its arrival generated a lot of excitement—mainly because it is commonly known as the assfish. The Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, put one on display this January.  I can't find any information on whether or not the fish has appeared in Washington's Pacific coast or in Puget Sound. 

With its bulbous head and flabby skin, a curator said it resembled a “glorified tadpole,” but declined to guess at the origin of its name.  "As might be expected from its common name, the bony-eared assfish, which is a member of the cusk-eel family, will never win an ichthyological beauty contest."  For more information, read the original article in  Canada's National Post.



As Liz Langley wrote in National Geographic "With a name like assfish, you're probably used to being the butt of jokes."

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