Capelin (Mallotus villosus)

Scientific name: Mallotus villosus M?ller, 1776

Capelin (Mallotus villosus)

The Capelin (Mallotus villosus) is a freshwater fish of the family Osmeridae.

Biology

Oceanic species found in schools. Nerito-pelagic. Adults feed on planktonic crustaceans, copepods, euphausiids, amphipods, marine worms, and small fishes. Mature individuals move inshore in large schools to spawn. In the spring large spawning shoals migrate toward the coasts, males usually arrive first. Often entering brackish and freshwater. Semelparous. Produces 6,000-12,000 adhesive eggs. Females are valued for their roe, males are utilized as fishmeal. Marketed canned and frozen; eaten fried and dried. Possibly to 725 m depth.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Mallotus villosus
Family
Osmeridae (Smelts)
Order
Osmeriformes (Smelts)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
20.0
Common length
15.0
Depth range
0–725 m (0–2379 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-oceanic; anadromous; depth range 0 - 725 m
Climate
Polar
Distribution
Circumpolar in the Arctic. North Atlantic: Barents Sea up to Bear Island, in the White and Norwegian seas, off the coast of Greenland up to 74?N and from Hudson Bay in Canada to Gulf of Maine, USA. North Pacific: south to Korea and Juan de Fuca Strait, Canada.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.3-0.5; tm=3; tmax=10; Fec=6,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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