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P. 1997. Study of the growth of southern black and white monkfish stocks. -ICES Journal of Marine Science, 54: 866-874.Growth parameters for black and white monkfish from ICES southern stocks, ICES Divisions VIIIc and IXa (Spanish and Portugese waters) were estimated from age readings of the first ray of the dorsal fin (illicia) sections and fitting the von Bertalanffy growth model. Black monkfish growth parameters were obtained by sex and for sexes combined, from 336 illicia, between 1989 and 1993. The birthdate was assumed to be 1 January and back-calculation procedures were applied to infer the fish length at that time. Growth patterns differed by sex, and females attain a greater body length. The growth parameters were also estimated for combined sexes from the overall sample, and the sex-ratio of 1.3:1 (males vs. females) was considered to be representative of the exploited population. The growth parameters were: L`=101.69 cm, k=0.08 year 1 and t 0 = 0.2 year. The white monkfish growth parameters were estimated for sexes combined from age reading of 165 illicia from fish caught in 1990 and 1993 in Spanish waters. The southern white monkfish grows faster and attains a greater body length than the southern black monkfish. The growth parameters were: L`=121.54 cm, k=0.102 year 1 and t 0 =0.032 year for the white monkfish.1997 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

Fariña, A. C., Azevedo, M., Landa, J., Duarte, R., Sampedro, P., Costas, G., Torres, M. A., and Cañás, L. 2008. Lophius in the world: a synthesis on the common features and life strategies. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1272–1280. Seven species of Lophius are known worldwide, six in the Atlantic Ocean and just one in the Northwest Pacific. The genus supports valuable fisheries (except for Lophius vaillanti), most for a long time, though the exploitation of Lophiusgastrophysus along the coast of Brazil is relatively recent. The manuscript reviews the current knowledge of phylogeographic and biological traits of Lophius species, pointing out common aspects in the life histories. Within the Lophiidae, the genus Lophius is phylogenetically the most derived, vicariance and dispersal having played a significant role in driving speciation. Life histories seem to have followed similar adaptive processes from a common ancestor along with similar environmental characteristics. The genetic structure of populations is poorly known, and usually, genetic differentiation is limited. Life-history aspects (age, growth, reproductive cycle, early stages, and feeding ecology) are addressed, and fisheries are reviewed. However, knowledge of many aspects of the biology and ecology (e.g. validation of the growth pattern, maturation processes, spawning areas and periodicity, recruitment processes, mortality, stock identification, and habitat needs) remains limited.