St Abbs village ( see also New Asgard )
UKDIVING
I
was first introduced to the wolf fish back in the early 1970s , when I first found one off Eyemouth in 12m of water . Its right pectoral fin had been damaged and almost split in two making the fish very distinctive . It was a huge wolf fish , its head about the size of a football and the body easily over two metres long .
I had noticed some broken sea urchin shells and the remains of a few crabs nearby the entrance to its lair , when a large spider crab ambled past me as I was taking photographs of George ( as we called him ). George suddenly shot out and grabbed the spider crab in its mouth ... when I went in closer to take the photograph , the great fish was clearly intimidated by me and opened its mouth wide in an aggressive posture . The spider crab climbed back out and ambled on its way !
This particular wolfie gained such notoriety that many divers and photographers made the pilgrimage to Eyemouth for a face-to-face encounter with Gorgeous George !
The wolf fish is perhaps the most iconic of all the animals resident in the Berwickshire Marine Reserve , located in the south east of Scotland . I was personally involved in founding this first marine reserve in Scotland at Eyemouth and around ten years later co-founded the St Abbs & Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve ( now renamed the Berwickshire Marine Reserve ). This marine reserve is now part of the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Special Area of Conservation – one of the largest marine conservation areas in Europe .
At one particular site off the Black Carr Rocks just north of St Abbs harbour there is a rocky ledge in around 18m of water , where usually five or six wolf fish can be found dotted along the length of the ledge . The most that we have found there was eight , with another three nearby . Most scuba divers can find wolf fish along this stretch of coastline .
Fish or eel ?
The wolfie ’ s Latin name , Anarhichas lupus , describes it as lupus ( like a wolf ) due to the very obvious and protruding teeth . The etymology or route name : Anarhichas is from the Greek , Anarhichaomai , meaning to climb up , suggestive of their behaviour , as
“ The wolf fish is an Arctic species , and has a type of antifreeze in its body ”
Scientific illustrations of the wolf fish
they use their large pectoral fins to propel themselves over the seabed and in and out of rocky crevices . They do swim , in an undulating way similar to that of true eels such as the moray .
Though their teeth and somewhat battle-scarred appearance make them appear mildly monstrous , wolfies are not aggressive at all . Typically , they will shy away from divers ’ lights and retreat deeper into their lairs . Behind those primary canine teeth are a cluster of five or six
St Abb ’ s Head National Nature Reserve
smaller canines , as well as three sets of crushing molars on the roof of their mouths which they use to crush and pulverise their food . Their jaws can be extended when attacking larger prey such as sea urchins , lobsters and crabs . Or telling photographers to back off .
The wolf fish is an Arctic species , and has a type of anti-freeze in its body , which keeps its blood flowing even in the coldest of seas . They are more generally found from Northern Norway down through
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