The sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the Anoplopoma genus. In English it is also called sable (USA), butterfish (USA/Australia), black cod (UK, Canada), blue cod (UK), bluefish (UK), candlefish (UK), coal cod (UK), and coalfish (Canada), although many of these names also refer to other species.

The sable fish is found in muddy sea beds in the North Pacific at depths of 300 to 2,700 m (1000 to 9000 ft) and is commercially important to Japan. It also is considered a delicacy in many countries for its sweet taste and flaky texture.It is a white and oily fish that when cooked is similar in texture to sea bass.

Ecology

The sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is a species of deep sea fish common to the North Pacific ocean. Adult sablefish are opportunistic feeders, preying on fish (including walleye pollock, eulachon, capelin, herring, sandlance, and Pacific cod), squid, euphausiids, jellyfish (Yang and Nelson 2000). Sablefish are long-lived, with a maximum recorded age of 94 years (Kimura et al. 1998).