of the splendid alfonsino. Juveniles live deeper, but are still pelagic for a few months, eventually moving to their demersal habitat where they will live as adults. After 4 years, they reach sexual maturity, at which point they will be about in size, with females being slightly larger on average than males. Individuals grow slowly, as is common among members of Berycidae. Although their maximum age is unknown, individuals have been caught at 69 years old. Their actual maximum age is unknown, however, with estimates ranging as high as 85 years. Human interaction Alfonsinos are economically important fish, targeted by commercial fisheries, including seamount fisheries, that employ deep-water trawling and longline fishing methods to catch them. It is of import to fisheries in Spain and Mauritania in the eastern Atlantic, the southeastern United States in the western Atlantic, and Japan, La Reunion Island, and the Canary Islands in the Indo-Pacific. It is also captured as bycatch of fisheries targeting the splendid alfonsino, though capture data likely does not distinguish between the two. This has led to concerns that stocks may be more depleted than previously thought. Of all Beryx species, the splendid alfonsino is the most commonly caught, but B. decadactylus makes up 95% of all Beryx catches off the southeastern United States. Despite being widespread throughout its range, the alfonsino is an uncommon fish in many areas, likely due to exploitation by commercial fisheries and depletion due to bycatch. It is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because its extensive distribution protects it from danger of extinction and in parts of its range it is not a targeted species. It could also be threatened by habitat loss due to deep-water trawling causing damage to deep-sea corals. References External links Beryx Cosmopolitan fish Fish described in 1829 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier