Wolf Fish.. Only in the Bay of Fundy???

[Firediver]

Hey.. just wondering if there are other species of wolf fish around besides what's in the Bay of Fundy??? This one is again At Deer Island Point. This species is Endangered and there are a fair number at the point in various areas accessible to divers......

[diverberr]

Hey.. just wondering if there are other species of wolf fish around besides what's in the Bay of Fundy??? This one is again At Deer Island Point. This species is Endangered and there are a fair number at the point in various areas accessible to divers......


There are 3 types found in Atlantic Canada. The Northern wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus), also called a jelly-cat because of the texture of the flesh live mostly in deep water (150-600 meters) and are a uniform gray over the entire body. The spotted wolffish (Anarhichas Minor), also called a leopardfish are also a deep water fish (50-500 meters or deeper). They are a darker, brownish colour with dark brown to black spots on the upper half of the body. And the Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas Lupus), the one commonly seen by divers in shallow water but are also found in depths ranging up to about 400 meters. All three species are now on the protected list and catching them now brings a stiff fine. The photos aren't the greatest, but you get the idea from them anyway.

Al.

[Firediver]

Cool.. nice to see there are more species out there.. we have the Atlantic Wolffish here and it's light blu in color with darker blue spots. They love to eat sea urchins and are found at the point between 35-130' they don't stray too far from their dens.

[Spoon]

same as wolfeel? anyway seen those in aquariums. they look horribly mean. kinda resembles an orc.

[Firediver]

lol.. same as a wolf eel. they really arn't that mean, we feed them urchins by hand. Just don't irritate themcause they will chase and they will bite. They have a nice set of teeth. I have a better picture around here somewhere.. These were taken by Kim Mann

[Firediver]

Here is a Good Picture of what I mean about feeding them urchins.

Again take by Kim Man of Moncton NB

http://www.pbase.com/kiml/deer Her Website of diving Deer Island NB

[jeffkruse2000]

We have wonderful wolfeel here in the PNW. There are a few pictures on my wife's web site http://www.underseavisions.com/galleries.htm

[Firediver]

Wow those are some excellent photos. Your wolfeels aren't much different then ares except they seem to be alittle more prehistoric lookin :P

[Uncle Pug]

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/921/OE2X_feeding_Shirley.jpg
OE2X feeding a scallop to Wendy.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/921/Wolf_Eel_and_Crab.JPG
Wendy coming out after a dungeness crab.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/921/Wendy_under_here_I-beam.jpg
Wendy under her I-Beam.

[KidK9]

Cool pics...very spooky creature!

[NWGratefulDiver]

Cool pics...very spooky creature!
Not at all ... we named her Wendy, and she was as friendly as your average retriever. Sadly, she left ... hopefully to go find a mate somewhere.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[ScubaSarus]

We have them in RI but vary rare.

[Uncle Pug]

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/921/Lonely-Boy.jpg
This lonely boy hadn't found a mate yet.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/921/Mom_n_Pop.jpg
This pair was guarding eggs.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/921/Note-the-molars.jpg
Note the molars in the mouth... that is what crunches the urchins!

[ScubaSarus]

People fear wolf fish them in RI and kill them instantly I hear when caught. The Adventure Diving Book of RI portrays Wolf Fish as fierce fish to be afraid of with many large hungry teeth. I've not seen one yet so what would one expect if he comes across one.

[adshepard]

I love wolffish. I've been feeding one off Deer Island, NB the past few years and last weekend I fed one off Eastport, Maine. The one in Eastport will actually come fully out of its lair to be fed.

This one is my "pet" from Deer Island. He/she loves urchins.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/memberimages/5817_1124413016_wolfienorman.jpg

DSDO

Alan

[NWGratefulDiver]

People fear wolf fish them in RI and kill them instantly I hear when caught. The Adventure Diving Book of RI portrays Wolf Fish as fierce fish to be afraid of with many large hungry teeth. I've not seen one yet so what would one expect if he comes across one.
Now that is just wrong ... these fish are the "golden retrievers" of the deep. They just want to be fed and loved. And they mate for life, so "killing them instantly" is a practice that could make them very difficult to find in your area in a short period of time.

I've had one come out of her lair, wrap herself around my leg, and look at me as if asking how long she was going to have to wait for her urchin snack.

I've a friend who's featured in a video taken in Port Hardy with a large male named "Fred" ... who swam up to him as he was descending. Mark held his arms out in a big circle, and Fred settled in like he wanted to be petted.

How can anybody mistake a big smurf-colored fish with a face like a wizened Walter Mathau as something that could be "fierce"?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[diverberr]

When I was doing a lot of dives on the Deliverance several years back there were a pair living under the wreck's bow winch. They would come out to be petted when I swam up to them. I could lay my left hand underneath the fishes body and stroke along the back with my right like patting a dog. Growing up commercial fishing and seeing them out of the water (they behave much like a rabid pitbull when taken from the water) it took me quite a while to muster the courage to approach these animals closely underwater, but they are extremely docile when in their own element.

Hopefully, now that they've been placed on the protected list, they'll start to make a comeback and we'll start seeing them more often on dives again.

Cheers,
Al.

[swankenstein]

People fear wolf fish them in RI and kill them instantly I hear when caught. The Adventure Diving Book of RI portrays Wolf Fish as fierce fish to be afraid of with many large hungry teeth. I've not seen one yet so what would one expect if he comes across one.
These pictures were taken just before I was killed:

[diverberr]

These pictures were taken just before I was killed:

Nice pics. Too bad you had to die for them.......is that what they call "suffering for one's art"?

Al.

[Uncle Pug]

Swank... those are really cool pictures. How did you trip the shutter multiple times on the kissing one?

[Firediver]

Excellent Pics.. Not much difference then between Kim Mann's pics of the Wolf eels at deer island and those in other waters... Currently off Deer Island on the drift dive alone there are 5 wolfeels not sure how many there are at the other two sites. They are amazing creatures not as docile <ya can't kiss em here but yet no one has tried> but you can feed them urchins and keep your hand :P heehee ..

[swankenstein]

Swank... those are really cool pictures. How did you trip the shutter multiple times on the kissing one?
Those are actually two separate pictures that are shoved together. It's a pretty wide-angle lens (17mm, not digital), so I just turned the camera around and pointed it at myself and clicked. I had to manually wind to the next frame before taking the second one.

[Firediver]

heehee.. cool...