Norwegian record Northern wolffish: 29 kg

About Northern wolffish

The northern wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus) is the largest of Norway's three wolffish species and is easy to recognise by its even blue, blue-grey or dark brown colour without clear cross-bands. It shares the big head and heavy teeth of its relatives, but its teeth are sharper and more finely pointed, and it spends more time in open water. Its flesh is soft and watery, so it is worth less as a food fish. The species lives along the continental slope, usually deeper than 400 m, and the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea are key areas. It can reach about 1.4 m and roughly 30 kg. Young fish live in open water eating jellyfish and fish, while adults take echinoderms such as sea urchins, starfish and brittle stars, along with mussels, jellyfish and fish. It is caught as bycatch by longliners and trawlers and is rarely taken by recreational anglers. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Havforskningsinstituttet, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: August

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1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
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