Butterfish

Pholis gunnellus · Small fish and rockpool species

Also called gunnel

Butterfish — Photo: Jack Sewell, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What fish is this?Identify a fish from a photo

A small, slippery, eel-like fish of rocky shores and rockpools all around the UK. It hides under rocks and weed.^[1]

How to recognise it

Slim, eel-like body up to about 25 cm.^[1]
A row of black spots ringed in white along the back; FishBase counts 9 to 13.^[2]
Yellowish-orange to reddish-brown with darker bands.^[1]
Very slimy skin, which gives it its name.^[1]

When and where

Season: all year^[1]
Found over: rockpools, rocky shores, under rocks and weed^[1]

Listed as present all year round; FishBase says it moves deeper in winter.^[1]

Sources

These notes are a draft: we gathered them from the sources above and are still checking them. We don't work out best times for this fish yet. The size rules come from the same checked byelaws as every other fish.

Fish guide