Rare albino ratfish has eerie, sil...(of crabs and clams require caution by re...)

And then there's that venomous spine.

Located on their back, just in front of the dorsal fin, ratfish have a spine several inches long that is serrated on one edge, needle sharp at the tip and delivers an irritating venom. The spine could be the reason the only predators to eat Puget Sound ratfish are dogfish and six-gill sharks, both able to gulp ratfish down whole and headfirst, Reum and Pietsch say.

The Hood Canal food-web survey, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program, is led by UW assistant professor Tim Essington. He also has SeaDoc Society funding to examine another aspect of the Puget Sound food web using historical trawl records to create a database of fish abundance over time. It seeks to find, for instance, whether ratfish have always been so numerous or whether changes in their main predators allowed them to flourish.

As far as humans eating ratfish, Reum says New Zealand is the only place he knows where there is a commercial fishery. They're used for fish and chips.

Has Reum ever tasted ratfish" A spasm of dismay briefly crosses his face at the thought. Then he laughs.

"We're always challenging each other during our expeditions to eat one, but, they're just a really greasy fish. And they really stink. Their stomach contents and juices are particularly foul."

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