Remora, Remora remora

Remora, Remora remora, Dark Morph. Fish collected off the beach alive at Km 21, Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, February 2012. Length: 21 cm (8.3 inches). Most unusual!

The Remora, Remora remora, is a member of the Remora or Echenedae Family, that is also known as the Common Remora and in Mexico as rémora tiburonera or simply pega pega in Mexico. Globally, there are five species in the genus Remora, and all five are found in Mexican waters of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

The Remora has an elongated robust body that are either a uniform gray or a uniform dark brown color. Their head has a straight lower and flat upper profile with large black eyes and a short disc that is 31% to 33% of standard length and reaches to the end of the pectoral fins and the disk having 16 to 22 lamellae. They have 28 to 37 gill rakers. Their lower jaw is projecting and their mouth has numerous small pointed teeth. Their anal and dorsal fin bases are of similar size and shape and opposite each other being significantly longer than the head but less than two times the head length; their caudal fin is large and forked in juveniles transitioning to slightly concave in adults; their pectoral fins are mid-sized and blunt; and, their pelvic fins are pointed and joined to the belly.

The Remora is an oceanic pelagic fish that travel attached to their hosts (sharks and other large fish, rays and turtles) and are found at depths up to 200 m (650 feet). They reach a maximum of 86 cm (2 feet 10 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.97 kg (8 lbs 12 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Marathon, Florida, March 2023. Very little is known about the biology of the Remora as they require fast moving water for survival, making study in captivity impossible.

The Remora is a resident of all waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with the exception that they are absent from the northern 20% of the Sea of Cortez. They are more common in southern Mexican waters.

The Remora is an easy fish to identify due to its lamellae count, the length of its pectoral fins, and the host on which it resides. They are similar to and mostly likely confused with the Spearfish Remora, Remora brachptera (dorsal fin inserted before anal fin; convex caudal fin).

From a conservation perspective the Remora is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too unappealing to be of interest to most. They are most definitely a “catch-and-release”.