Spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor)

Scientific name: Anarhichas minor Olafsen, 1772

Spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor)

The Spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) is a marine fish of the family Anarhichadidae.

Biology

Inhabits offshore waters over soft bottoms, often with boulders, from 25-590 m, but most common from 100-400 m. Benthic. Feeds mainly on echinoderms, but also crustaceans, mollusks, fishes and worms. In Barents sea, it reached at least 80 cm, age 9 years. Marketed fresh or as frozen fillets. Leather can be made of the skin.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Anarhichas minor
Family
Anarhichadidae (Wolffishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
180
Common length
120
Depth range
25–600 m (82–1969 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; oceanodromous; depth range 25 - 600 m, usually 100 - 400 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Northwest Atlantic: western Greenland and Nova Scotia in Canada to Massachusetts in USA and perhaps to New Jersey, USA. Northeast Atlantic: Spitsbergen southward to Scandinavian coasts (to about Bergen, also Iceland and south-eastern coasts of Greenland.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.06-0.13; tm=8; Fec=4,200-35,200)

Sources

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

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