Norwegian record Arctic ribbonfish: 8.16 kg

About Arctic ribbonfish

The Arctic ribbonfish (Trachipterus arcticus), usually called the dealfish, is a relative of the oarfish; its Norwegian name, 'silver halibut', is misleading. Its long body is extremely flattened and ribbon-like, scaleless and bright silver with a few dark spots on the sides. A reddish dorsal fin stretches from head to tail, and the small tail fin points up at an angle. Adults lack pelvic and anal fins. It may reach roughly 2.5 to 3 m, though most are about half that length. The dealfish lives in open water in the North Atlantic, usually at 300 to 600 m, and feeds on squid and small fish. In Norway it occasionally washes up dead or dying on beaches, or turns up as chance bycatch. It has no fishing value. The Norwegian Red List 2021 lists it as Not Applicable (NA) because it only appears irregularly in Norwegian waters.

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Oktober
• Red list status: NA (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest Arctic ribbonfish 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.