The distribution and diet of the dominant, slope-dwelling eel, Synaphobranchus kaupi, of the Rockall Trough

The deep-sea eel, Synaphobranchus kaupi (Pisces: Synaphobranchidae), is a dominant species on the continental slopes of the North Atlantic. In earlier studies of the Rockall Trough, north-eastern Atlantic, its abundance was underestimated because the types of bottom trawl used only caught the largest specimens, which occur at the greatest depth. The use of a semi-balloon trawl (OTSB) fished on a single warp has revealed that it is the most abundant species on the slopes of the Rockall Trough. This paper describes some aspects of the biology, especially feeding, of this important species.