Lindblad Expeditions diver Tove Petterson films a wolf-fish (Anarhichas lupus) in the frigid waters of Kvalsund, over 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Our dive today was a challenging one, in the swift tidal currents which flow through these fiords and with fairly poor visibility; nevertheless we encountered a good variety of interesting marine life and were able to get some nice video footage which we brought back to share with the guests on board. Wolf-fish, called Gr†steinbit (Gray Rockbiter) in Norwegian, are in their own family which contains only six species, three of which are found in Norway. They are large (up to four feet long) and slow growing, reaching sexual maturity at seven to ten years and living as long as twenty years. Their most distinctive features are their large, powerful jaws and rubbery lips, adaptations which allow then to eat spiny sea urchins and crush thick clam shells. Though normally docile, they can be dangerous when defending themselves and are said to have crushed the oars of boats in their jaws while being hauled in. Despite their unwholesome appearance, wolf-fish are a prized catch, with dense, snow-white flesh.
During our dive we also encountered a halibut, feeding sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, chitins and a beautiful variety of red and brown algae. This marine ecosystem was quite different form the Laminaria kelp forest we dove in at Fair Isle so we are looking forward to exploring and sharing more new and exciting wonders from the undersea world as we continue our journey north to Spitsbergen.
