Moustache Conger

Moustache Conger (Conger cireneus) is a versatile species found in marine, freshwater, and brackish environments. It is a demersal, oceanodromous fish, residing at depths ranging from 1 to 800 meters, although it is typically found at depths less than 300 meters. The species can attain a maximum length of 220 cm, with a common length of about 80 cm, and has a reported maximum age of 15 years.

This species occupies habitats from the littoral zone to the upper bathy-benthic region and is commonly found on soft substrates, including estuarine environments. It sometimes ventures into freshwater areas. Its diet consists mainly of small benthic fishes and crustaceans. The Moustache Conger is an important species in fisheries, particularly in 🇯🇵 Japan where it is captured and cultivated. It is predominantly marketed fresh and also used as bait in shark fishing. Additionally, it is caught using bag (dol) nets and is utilized in traditional Chinese medicine.

Geographically, the Moustache Conger is distributed across the Indo-West Pacific region, including the 🌊 Red Sea, 🌊 Persian Gulf, the western coast of 🇮🇳 India, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, extending eastward to 🇫🇯 Fiji and Tuvalu. Its range extends northward to 🇯🇵 Japan and Korea, and southward to the Arafura Sea and northern 🇦🇺 Australia. Notably, it has also migrated to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal (🇪🇬 Egypt).