Northern wolffish
| Northern wolffish | |
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Threatened in Canada
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Anarhichadidae |
| Genus: | Anarhichas |
| Species: | A. denticulatus |
| Binomial name | |
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Anarhichas denticulatus Krøyer, 1845 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Anarhichas latifrons Steenstrup & Hallgrimsson, 1876 |
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Anarhichas latifrons Steenstrup & Hallgrimsson, 1876
Lycichthys denticulatus (Krøyer, 1845)
Lycichthys fortidens Gill, 1911
Lycichthys parvodens Lühmann, 1954
Lycichthys paucidens Gill, 1905
The northern wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus), or rock turbot, is a large marine fish of the Anarhichadidae family. Other common names include the bull-headed catfish, blue catfish, broad-headed catfish, jelly wolffish, and the Arctic wolffish. Inuit in the Western Arctic (Bathurst Inlet) do not distinguish between the northern wolffish and the Bering wolffish (A. orientalis), calling both by the name akoak or akoaksaluk ("old woman fish").
This fish, sometimes considered "charmingly ugly", is found across the North Atlantic Ocean from north of Russia to the Scotian Shelf, off Nova Scotia. Its western Atlantic population declined dramatically during the 1980s, in part because it is often caught by fishers seeking other catch. The population was observed to decline by more than 90% from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.
This species has been identified as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. It is listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) and was afforded protection under the SARA as of June 2004. Under the SARA, a recovery strategy must be developed for this species. Additional protection is afforded through the federal Fisheries Act.
Northern wolffish are demersal fish. In summer, mature females lay up to 30,000 extremely large eggs in a nest on the sea floor. Adults are observed to make limited movements and are not migratory. The northern wolffish favours open continental-shelf water that is cold, usually between 2 and 5°C, and mainly at depths between 400 and 1,000 m (1,300 and 3,300 ft). The fish is thought to prefer a rocky or muddy sea floor, but is found over all types of ocean bottoms.
Sharp teeth and powerful jaws allow the northern wolffish to capture moving (pelagic) fish, starfish, sea urchins, and crabs. They also include some bottom-dwelling (benthic) organisms in their diets. Their fearsome teeth, however, ensure they have few natural predators. They are not retained by fishermen for food because of their watery and jelly-like flesh.
In the Canadian Arctic, northern wolffish occur primarily in Davis Strait, with their northernmost limit in Baffin Bay. A few records report them in the western Arctic, including as far west as Prince Patrick Island, NWT. In the North Atlantic, they are found on both sides of the ocean, from southern Newfoundland to the Barents Sea. In Canada, they occur primarily off the northeast Newfoundland/Labrador Shelf and the outer Grand Banks.
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Wikipedia