They possess a thick coating of slime, which serves as protection like an immune system, and have small and imbedded scales giving them a leathery appearance. The males are gray in coloration while the females are brown, but both have a unique pattern of spots differentiated by their gender. Reaching lengths of up to eight feet and weighing up to 50 pounds, these animals can be massive. Once settled, these animals are territorial and males will fight one another for space, or sometimes females. Wolf eels are known to be highly attentive parents, with both parents invested in nurturing and caring for their eggs. It is here they act like old romantics, wooing their partners and settling down in a rocky lair to live out their days. As they age, their skin darkens and they begin looking for a place to settle on the seafloor. With their bright orange skin and slender head and body, they most closely resemble eels at this stage of their life. One juvenile was even documented traveling 1,000 km from British Columbia to Washington over two years. As juveniles, wolf eels are like lone wolves drifting with the ocean currents and hanging out near the top of the water column. Wolf eels are one of the rare creatures on Earth that finds a partner and mates for life, in most cases. © Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society Some say they have a face “only a mother could love,” and while they may startle us with their bulbous fleshy heads and massive daunting jaws, wolf eels are known to be curious and even friendly to divers. Instead, they are part of the Anarhichadidae family, which is a group known as the “wolf fishes.” These animals inhabit the cool waters of the northern Pacific, ranging from the Sea of Japan and Aleutian islands to Southern California, making a home in rocky reefs and stony bottoms. However, they are neither wolf nor true eel. With elongated slender bodies, large heads and intimidating jaws, wolf eels were named for their superficial resemblance to eels and wolves. The fish simply snapped the handle in half.Snuggled within the cracks and crevices of the Pacific coasts rocky reefs lies two lovers in hiding. He pried the wolf-eel’s mouth open and inserted a small narrow broom handle to keep it open. An angler had caught a medium-sized fish and wanted to save his leader that was imbedded deeply in the mouth of the fish. The flesh can be filleted or steaked and cooked in almost any manner although poaching and steaming is a favorite.Ĭomments : I saw the power of a wolf-eel’s mouth once when I was fishing at the old Moss Landing Pier. To land one, use a heavy size 2 to 2/0 hook and heavy line (20- to 40-pound test) or even a wire leader.įood Value: Delicious mild flavored flesh that is white in color and dense in texture. Because of their strength and habit of retreating to rocks as soon as hooked, most that are hooked are probably not landed. Shoreline: Taken by anglers fishing in rocky areas in central and northern California.īoats: An inshore species rarely take from boats.īait and Tackle :Wolf-eels will hit almost any bait but I’ve seen them caught most often on shrimp, small crabs, mussels, abalone or on anchovy. Best bets: Port San Luis Pier, Cayucos Pier, Santa Cruz Wharf, Fort Baker Pier, Point Arena Pier, Trinidad Pier, and Citizens Dock in Crescent City. Piers : Not common at any pier but a few are taken every year from piers in central and northern California that are located near rocks or reefs. Found in deeper water south of Point Conception, in shallow water near rocks and kelp north of Point Conception. Habitat : Found in intertidal waters to a depth of 1,036 feet. Uncommon but not rare south of Point Conception. Common from Central California to Gulf of Alaska. Also reported from the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk. Range: Northern Baja California, to Gulf of Alaska, southeastern Bering Sea to Cape Menshikof, west along the Aleutians Islands to the Krenitzen Islands. Pier-caught wolf-eels are rarely more than 2-3 feet long. Size : To 79.9 inches although there are rumors of eight-foot wolf-eels. Related to the blennies it is not an eel. Their coloring is green to gray with round dark spots on the dorsal fins and body. Identification :The body is long and eel-shaped the mouth is large and filled with large, canine-like, teeth. Called doctorfish in Alaska, lo’l, lo’ox, or st’aaxaam in British Columbia. Specie s: Anarrhichthys ocellatus (Ayres, 1855) from the Greek word anar-hichas (an ancient name for a fish which resembled this species) and the Latin word ocellatus (eye-like spots).Īlternate Names :Moray eel. Picture courtesy Outdoor Writers Association of California
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |