Collagen was isolated and characterized from the skin of brown backed toadfish (Lagocephalus gloveri), processing wastes. The total collagen yield extracted was 54.3% on the basis of lyophilized dry weight compared to other vertebrates. According to the electrophoretic pattern, the skin collagen of the fish consisted of heterotrimer alpha(1)alpha(2)alpha(3). Moreover, the denaturation temperature was 28 degrees C, which was about 9 degrees C lower than that of collagen from porcine skin. Therefore, there is a possibility to use brown backed toadfish skin collagen as an alternative source of collagen for industrial purposes and subsequently it may maximize the economical value of the fish. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.