Norwegian record Tadpole fish: 960 g

About Tadpole fish

The tadpole fish (Raniceps raninus) is a small, unusual cod relative that is easy to recognise by its large, flattened head and dark, almost black body. It usually reaches up to about 20 cm, with a recorded maximum of around 27 cm. It was long placed in the cod family, but genetic studies now put it alone in a family of its own. It lives in the northeast Atlantic and the North Sea and is fairly common along the Norwegian coast north to Helgeland. It keeps to shallow rocky ground with seaweed, mostly at 10–20 m, hiding in crevices and under stones. Its habits are poorly studied, but it probably feeds on small crustaceans and other bottom animals. It has no commercial value, and anglers only occasionally catch one when fishing shallow with small hooks. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Januar

See the species guide

Biggest Tadpole fish in FishComp

475 g (49 % of the record) by Robin Eriksen. See the catch

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.