Bering wolffish COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 5

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Species Information

• Name and Classification
• Description

Name and Classification

The wolffishes, or sea catfishes, of the family Anarhichadidae are supposed relatives of the inshore blennies (Blenniidae) (Wheeler, 1975). Their name is derived from the characteristic protruding canine teeth, used to ingest the benthic invertebrates and crustaceans that are their primary food source. Four species of wolffish occur in Canadian waters, including the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans, as well as the Beaufort Sea. The Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas lupus, Linnaeus, 1758) and the spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor Olafsen, 1774) are of some commercial importance, while the Northern wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus, Krøyer, 1845) and the Bering wolffish (Anarhichas orientalis Pallas, 1814) are poorly documented in Canadian waters. Along the Pacific coast south of Alaska, the family is represented by the wolf-eel (Anarhichthys ocellatus, Ayres 1855).

The Bering wolffish is the subject of this report, and its known Canadian range is limited to one location in the Western Arctic - Bathurst Inlet. Inuit of the area have limited knowledge of the wolffish. They do not distinguish between Anarhichas orientalis and Anarhichas denticulatus (Northern wolffish), calling both by the name akoak or akoaksaluk (old woman fish) (Smith, 1977).

Description

The Bering wolffish is an elongated, laterally compressed fish with a slender caudal peduncle. It has been documented to a length of 112cm (Andriyashev, 1954), and to 15kg in weight (Houston and McAllister, 1990), but most literature acknowledges that larger specimens may exist. Pelvic fins are absent, the dorsal and anal fins are elongate and nearly join the caudal fin near its base, and the lateral line may be absent or reduced (Houston and McAllister, 1990). Reports of coloration differ, with some authors citing age-dependent coloration changes (Andriyashev, 1954). Adult Bering wolffish are reported to be dark brown in colour, with no obvious spots or stripes (Andriyashev, 1954). Andriyashev reports that the head in juveniles has numerous dark spots, while the upper body is marked with four or five dark longitudinal stripes that may be discontinuous. Head length is 19-21% of total body length (Andriyashev, 1954), with a steep snout and large canine teeth that extend past the tips of the jaws.

The Bering wolffish is differentiated from the five other species in the genus by having 53 or more anal rays, 81-86 dorsal fin spines, deeper rounded caudal fins, and by a geographical distribution that is limited to the northern Pacific and western Arctic Oceans (Houston and McAllister, 1990).