Gurnards - Seafish

Research & Development 

Species guide 

March 2011 2 nd edition 

Gurnards 

Gurnards belong to the Triglidae family (1) of 

fish. There are three common species: red, 

yellow/tub and grey gurnard. They vary by 

colour but are very similar in shape and taste. 

Red gurnard 

Distribution 

Red gurnard is widely distributed in the 

North East Atlantic from southern Norway 

and north to Mauritania. 

Red gurnard, Aspitrigla cuculus, is the 

smallest of the European gurnards. It spawns 

in summer, can attain a length of 40 cms, a 

weight of 900g and lives to a maximum of 21. 

Tub gurnard 

Tub gurnard occurs in the Eastern Atlantic 

from Norway to Senegal, also in South Africa 

and in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Tub gurnard, Chelidonicthys lucerna, is the 

largest European. It spawns from May to July, 

can attain a length of 75 cms and lives to a 

maximum of 15 years. 

Grey gurnard 

Grey gurnard occurs in the Eastern Atlantic 

from Iceland, in Norway, the southern Baltic 

and the North Sea to southern Morocco. 

Grey gurnard, Eutrigla gurnardus, spawns 

from April to August, can attain a length of 45 

cms and lives to a maximum of six years.

2 Species Guide – Gurnards. March 2011 v2. 

Biology 

Gurnards are able to grunt or growl by using 

muscles associated with the swim bladder 

and this is believed to aid in keeping schools 

together. They feed on benthic crustaceans, 

other invertebrates and bottom-dwelling 

fishes. 

Fisheries and gears 

Red gurnard is mainly caught in a mixed 

fishery by otter trawlers. Tub and grey 

gurnard are mainly taken as a bycatch in 

mixed demersal fisheries for flatfish and 

roundfish. 

However the market for gurnard is limited and 

they are often thrown back into the sea as an 

unwanted bycatch and subsequently 

discarded. Surveys indicate that this species 

is one of the most widely discarded (3). 

Stock assessment and catches 

There are no formal assessments or advice 

on gurnards However, there are a number of 

sources of information on these species and 

their role in the ecosystem (4,5,6). 

According to landings statistics the annual 

catches in the North East Atlantic from 2006- 

2009 have been (2): 

Tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 

Red 5171 5175 4778 4055 

Tub 2995 3416 2510 3058 

Grey 529 399 317 438 

There are uncertainties in landings data and 

some nations do not discriminate between 

the species in the landings data. 

Red gurnard – French fishing vessels land 

the most red gurnard and it is data from these 

and research vessels which provide the best 

time series for this species. Information is 

available for the Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea, 

Western Approaches, English Channel and 

North Sea. Most of these time series indicate 

fluctuations in abundance without trends, with 

the exception of the North Sea where there 

appears to have been an upward trend in the 

last decade. 

Tub gurnard – As for red gurnard, French 

trawl fisheries and research vessel data 

provide the best time series for this species. 

Information is available for the Bay of Biscay, 

Celtic Sea, Western Approaches, English 

Channel and North Sea. Most of these results 

indicate fluctuation in abundance without 

trend with some evidence of increasing 

numbers of tub gurnard overwintering in the 

North Sea in recent years. This effect has 

been observed with other species such as 

red mullet which until recently did not 

overwinter in the North Sea. 

Grey gurnard – Due to their low commercial 

value there is widespread discarding of this 

species so only research vessel data can be 

considered a valid source of information. The 

research vessel surveys in the North Sea 

show a marked increase in abundance over 

the period 1987-2009, and relatively stable, 

though fluctuating abundance in the 

Skagerrak and Kattegat. 

Ecological aspects 

Gurnards are key predators in the North Sea 

and their importance is considered to have 

increased over recent years (4). 

Sustainability 

Taken together the information described 

above suggests that gurnard populations are 

relatively robust; that is current exploitation is 

not likely to seriously affect their abundance. 

Responsible Sourcing Services 

This guide is one of a series of Seafish 

Responsible Sourcing Guides. 

See: 

http://www.tinyurl.com/seafishrsg

3 Species Guide – Gurnards. March 2011 v2. 

Product Characteristics 

Gurnards are very distinctive bottom-living 

fish with large heads and eyes. The head is 

protected by large bony plates and strong 

spines. The lower three rays of the pectoral 

fins are separate, finger-like processes that 

contain sensory organs. 

Red gurnards are bright red with pinkishsilver 

mottling on the sides and head. The 

protective bony plates on the head which are 

characteristic of all gurnards are very 

conspicuous in this species. Along the lateral 

line there is a row of large, plate-like scales. 

Tub gurnards can vary in colour from bright 

red with pinkish mottling to yellowish-brown 

with darker brown or green mottling. The 

pectoral fins have brilliant peacock blue spots 

and outer rim. 

The grey gurnard is a relatively slender 

bodied gurnard with a sharply pointed snout. 

The colour ranges from grey to greyish-brown 

with small whitish-cream spots and there is a 

characteristic dark blotch on the rear edge of 

the first dorsal fin. 

Gurnards are most commonly used in fish 

stocks, soups or Mediterranean fish stews. It 

may be marketed fresh or frozen and eaten 

pan-fried, broiled, micro-waved or baked. 

The Gurnard is a tricky fish to fillet and 

‘debone’, but has been gaining in popularity. 

The red gurnard was the winner of the 

Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood 

Award 2008 (7) and has been increasingly 

endorsed by celebrity chefs. There is a recipe 

for red gurnard in Rick Stein’s Mediterranean 

Escapes (BBC Books, 2007). The River 

Cottage Fish Book by Hugh Fearnley- 

Whittingstall and Nick Fisher (Bloomsbury, 

2007) includes red gurnard recipes for ‘Potroasted 

gurnard’, as a whole white fish in 

‘Crustacean soup’ and a descaled and gutted 

red gurnard for cooking as ‘Deep-fried whole 

fish with citrus salsa’. 

Supply chain standards 

Seafish has developed supply chain 

standards from capture to retailer: 

• Responsible Fishing Scheme. 

Sets best practice standards for 

fishing vessels: (BSi: PAS 72:2006). 

• British Retail Consortium (BRC) 

Global Standard/Safe and Local 

Supplier Approval (SALSA) 

certification. Designed to raise 

standards in the seafood processing 

and wholesaling sectors. 

References and sources 

1.www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/la 

belregsguidance/fishlabellingregs2010eng 

2. www.ices.dk/fish/CATChSTATISTICS.asp 

3. Enever R et al 2007 Fisheries Research 86 

(2007) 143–152. 

4. Mackinson S and G. Daskalov (2007) Sci. 

Ser. Tech Rep., Cefas Lowestoft, 142: 196pp. 

5.www.ices.dk/reports/ACOM/2007/WGNEW/WG 

NEW07.pdf 

6.www.ices.dk/reports/ACOM/2010/WGNEW/WG 

NEW%202010%20.pdf 

7.www.seafoodtraining.org/6_mike_berhtet_m&j_ 

seafood_27.02.08.pdf 

Contact: 

Bill Lart - Tel: 01472 252323 

Email: w_lart@seafish.co.uk 

Karen Green - Email: k_green@seafish.co.uk 

18 Logie Mill, Logie Green Road, Edinburgh EH7 4HS 

t: 0131 558 3331 f: 0131 558 1442 

e: seafish@seafish.co.uk w: www.seafish.org SIN: http://sin.seafish.org 

supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future

Gurnards - Seafish

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