Maine Seafood Guide – Wolffish
Season
Status
Regulatory Authority
Harvest Method
Recreational Harvest
Health Benefits & Risks
Buying & Preparing
Brands
Certifications
Links
►Species Description
Wolffish Anarhichas lupus
also known as ocean catfish
Wild.
Bigelow and Schroeder wrote, “The great projecting tusks, blunt snout, massive head, and small eyes give Atlantic wolffish a singularly savage aspect. Wolffish are widely renowned among fishermen for their ferocious appearance, temperament, and biting ability.”
Wolffish are a bottom-dwelling, solitary fish of deep waters on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean.
►Season
Harvesting for wolffish, commercially and recreationally, is prohibited.
►Status
The Atlantic wolffish of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine is considered a Species of Concern under the Endangered Species Act, and the population is overfished.
►Regulatory Authority
New England Fishery Management Council Multispecies (groundfish) Plan.
►Harvest Method
None.
►Recreational Harvest
None. Anglers are prohibited from landing Atlantic wolffish in Maine.
►Health Benefits & Risks
Mercury levels in wolffish are unknown.
►Buying & Preparing
N/A.
►Companies, Brands, and Labels
►Certifications & Verifications
►Links
- NOAA Fisheries Species Directory