Beaked redfish inhabits North Atlantic waters in the depth range 100–950 m, over thecontinental shelf, slope and the open ocean. Individuals can live demersal or pelagic, atvarious stages of their life cycle. The geographical distribution of the species extendsto most of the Atlantic waters from Newfoundland and the Labrador basin in the west to theBarents Sea in the east. Monitoring beaked redfish is challenging because of the specieswide geographical distribution and large scale migrations; deep distribution, whichcomplicates trawling and hydroacoustic surveys; difficulties with tagging; and persistentdifficulties in taxonomic identification. These challenges make it a particularlyproblematic species to observe with conventional research methods. We review these keychallenges and provide recommendations for the coordinated observation of Sebastesmentella in the North Atlantic that would best contribute to the assessment andecological research on this species.
