SIZE:
Up to 150 cm for 22 kg.
LIFE EXPECTANCY:
Up to 21 years.
LIFE CYCLE:
Sexual maturity is reached by 7 to 10 years of age.
Spawning takes place between July and January. The spotted wolffish has an elaborate reproductive behaviour. After fertilization, the female lays her eggs on the bottom. The male watches over the eggs, grouping them into a mass that he protects and oxygenates by ventilating them. A female can lay between 8000 and 50,000 eggs a year.
At the end of the incubation period, small fish, miniature versions of the adults, emerge from the eggs. They will remain in proximity to their birthplace.
The spotted wolffish is a large, elongated fish. Its head is large and scaleless. Large, pointed teeth protrude from the front of the jaw. Its back has a long, single fin that starts behind its head and disappears just before its small tail.
One of its distinguishing features is the presence of dark spots of varying size and shape on the top of its body. Below these spots, the spotted wolffish’s colour can vary from yellowish brown to chocolate brown.
On the seabed, at 25 to 600 m depth.
The spotted wolffish prefers cold water, below 5 °C. It settles on sand, mud and shell sea bottoms with rocks or large stones nearby.
PREYS:
Urchins
Crustaceans
Fish
PREDATORS:
Cod
Greenland sharks
MACHINES:
Aquaculture.
REGULATIONS:
Spotted wolffish are not targeted by fisheries but are incidental catches when bottom fish are sought. Its numbers have declined markedly in Canadian waters since the 1980s.
Since 2003, the spotted wolffish has been a protected species by law. Any catch must be returned to the water, and a recovery plan for the species must be drawn up and implemented.
For consumption purposes, the option of saltwater farming is being explored. Initial results show that this species could be suitable for aquaculture.
BENEFITS:
The spotted wolffish is rich in protein, in omega-3 fatty acids, in several B vitamins (B5, B3 et B6), in vitamin E, phosphorous, magnesium and potassium.
LET’S COOK:
Fine white flesh, fragrant and delicate; rather sweet flavour.
It has a tender and firm texture with few bones.
It can be prepared in a variety of ways: poached, baked, braised, grilled, fried, stuffed, en papillote, etc.
OUR CULINARY ADVICE:
Given its threatened status, we do not recommend eating spotted wolffish.
