The chimaeroids, being cartilaginous fishes, are allied to the sharks, skates and rays, but are separated from them by many important anatomic characters. Most obvious of these externally are that they have no spiracle; that they have only one external gill opening on either side; that their tails are symmetrical; and that their gill filaments are free at the tips like those of bony fishes. The chimaeroids remotely suggest the grenadiers in general body form, but are easily separable from them at a glance; first of all by the softness of their bodies and by their naked skins, also by the location of the pelvic fins which are set far back under or behind the tips of the pectorals, and by the large size of the pectoral fins, to list only the most obvious differences. There is no danger of confusing them with any other Gulf of Maine fishes, so curious is their appearance.
Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine—
Our only reason for mentioning this chimaera is that it is (or was) so plentiful along the offshore slopes of the Banks off the eastern part of the Gulf and off Nova Scotia that many were brought in for a few years subsequent to 1875, when fishermen long lining for halibut extended their operations down to 300 fathoms or so. Only one seems to have been reported during the past 25 years, caught off Browns Bank, 85 miles southwest of Cape Sable, between 400 and 500 fathoms on October 15, 1930.[85] But perhaps it would be found no less plentiful now than of old, if sought at the proper depth. The shoalest capture of which we found record was at 160 fathoms.
From Fishes of the Gulf of Maine by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) online courtesy of MBL/WHOI http://www.gma.org/fogm/Hydrolagus_affinis.htm
Good Morning Gloucester 
Imagine all the stuff down below that ocean line never thanks for the great history! 🙂 Dave & Kim 🙂
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