Norwegian record Capelin: 44 g

About Capelin

The capelin (Mallotus villosus) is a small, slim schooling fish of Arctic and subarctic seas and a member of the smelt family. It has an olive-green back and silvery sides. At spawning time the male develops a ridge of long, hair-like scales along each side. Females reach about 25 cm and males about 20 cm. In the Barents Sea capelin feed in summer and autumn along the ice edge on zooplankton such as copepods and krill. In winter they migrate south and spawn from February to April on sand and gravel, usually at 20 to 60 m, along the coasts of Finnmark and the Kola Peninsula. The eggs stick to the bottom, and most fish die after spawning once. Capelin are the most important food for Barents Sea cod, seabirds, seals and whales. They are fished with purse seines and trawls when stocks allow, but are of little interest to anglers. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Mars
• Red list status: LC (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest Capelin in FishComp

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How to register a Norwegian record

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.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.