UKDIVING
Iceland ; the Faroes ; Shetland and Orkney Islands , northern Scotland and all the way to the Farne Islands and perhaps further south . The further south you go down the east coast of Britain , the rarer this species becomes . However , there are exceptions to every rule and they have been fished off the coast of France ; Bay of Biscay ; Portugal and even the Balearics in the Mediterranean .
It boasts large pectoral fins situated just behind the gill covers , making it more of an outsize blenny rather than some kind of eel . It uses these super-sized pectoral fins to allow it to ‘ hop ’ over the seabed when searching for food . It does have another cold-water close relative which I photographed on Vancouver Island in Canada , known locally as a wolf eel , Anarrhichthys ocellatus .
Hour of the wolf
The Atlantic or striped wolf fish is designated as being of Special Concern by SARA ( Species at Risk Act ) due its slow growing , late maturation and living a benthic lifestyle where both adults look after the eggs . They should be returned to the sea if possible , when caught as a by-catch and preferably in the area where they were fished , as they play an important role in the ecosystem
The juvenile wolf fish is strikingly beautiful by comparison with the adult
of the ocean . COSEWIC ( The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ) is an independent advisory panel to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada and also refer to Wolf fish as threatened or endangered . The reason for their designation is that numbers have decreased over the last three generations principally due to the seabed being altered by bottom dredging ; ocean dumping and pollution , perhaps caused by environmental change and by-catch fatalities . Thankfully the populations found in the Berwickshire Marine Reserve in southeast Scotland appear to be fairly stable – for now .
When the wolf fish mature at about six years , they spawn during the winter months , laying over 1000 yellowish eggs in small clumps attached to the rocky seabed , or in small crevices . The eggs are fertilized internally , and the parents take turns at protecting the eggs and keeping them aerated , much in the manner
“ Thankfully the populations found in the Berwickshire Marine Reserve in southeast Scotland appear to be fairly stable – for now .”
of lumpsuckers . They also remove any diseased or dead eggs . The eggs hatch after eight weeks or so and the new born hatchlings hide on the seabed amidst small stones feeding on the last reserves of their egg yolk . They do have a larval stage and will float amongst that planktonic soup for a couple of weeks before settling onto a nice rocky seabed . Juveniles are olive-brown in colour with their pectoral fins being a shade of olive green . Adult females are usually browner in colour , with the males a steely purplish grey with darker vertical bands down the length of the body .
Hungry like the wolf
As they are a benthic ( bottom dwelling ) species , they feed primarily on various crabs , sea urchins ; starfish , mussels , whelks , cockles , clams , hermit crabs and other crusty critters . Like sharks , when the wolfie ’ s front teeth get worn down or broken off , they are replaced by a new tooth which moves forwards from behind .
Both the lower and upper jaws are armed with four to six conical teeth , which protrude forwards . Behind the upper teeth are three rows of crushing teeth , in the centre of which are pairs of molars on both the upper and lower jaw . It has a large tongue and even small serrated teeth situated in the throat . Known in Iceland and Norway as steinbítur / steinbit , the literal translation of this is ‘ stone biter ’.
It is this fearsome aspect that clearly identifies the wolfie , but in reality , they are really shy and retiring . So , the next time you encounter one of these magnificent fish , allow it some space , and bear in mind we ’ d all look a bit rough around the edges if we had to chomp on unshelled urchins every day ! �
The armoured skull of an Atlantic wolf fish , with replaceable teeth
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