Spotted Wolffish

The spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) is a large, powerful predator of the wolffish family, Anarhichadidae, found in cold northern waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. Closely related to the Atlantic wolffish, it typically occupies deeper, colder water and is distinguished by the prominent dark spots scattered across its body. Like its relatives, it possesses strong, blunt teeth adapted for crushing hard-shelled invertebrates. Populations in parts of its range have experienced declines, and the species is a conservation concern in some areas, including protective listings in Canadian waters. It remains an important, if often overlooked, deep-water predator across its northern range.

Spotted wolffish are identified primarily by their bold spotted pattern and large size.

• Body: long, muscular, and scaleless in appearance, similar in shape to other wolffish
• Coloration: grey-brown to bluish-grey background with numerous distinct, dark round spots covering the body and fins
• Head: large, blunt, with powerful jaws and prominent teeth visible even when the mouth is closed
• Fins: single long dorsal fin extending nearly the full length of the back
• Size: typically 100-150 cm, among the largest wolffish, occasionally over 1.8 m

The clear, well-defined dark spotting readily separates it from the plainer or only faintly barred Atlantic wolffish.

Spotted wolffish inhabit cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, including the Barents Sea, Greenland, Iceland, and parts of eastern Canada. They occupy deeper, colder habitat than the Atlantic wolffish, typically found at depths of 100 to over 600 meters on rocky, gravel, or mixed seafloor along the continental shelf and slope. The species favors structured bottom habitat offering crevices and shelter, and it is closely tied to consistently cold water temperatures. It rarely occurs in shallow, warmer coastal habitats, distinguishing its distribution from its more inshore-tolerant relative.

Spotted wolffish are solitary, territorial predators that use their crushing jaws and teeth to feed on hard-shelled invertebrates such as crabs, urchins, and mollusks, as well as some fish. They typically occupy rocky dens or crevices on the seafloor and show limited movement once settled into suitable deep-water habitat. As with other wolffish, reproduction involves internal fertilization and the laying of large, adhesive egg masses in rocky shelter, which may receive some degree of parental guarding. This reproductive strategy results in relatively low fecundity compared to many other fish, contributing to the species' sensitivity to fishing pressure and slow recovery from population declines.