Bering wolffish COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 9

Population Size and Trends

Little more than presence/absence data exist for the Bering wolffish throughout its range (Houston and McAllister, 1990). It is said to be common near the Bering Strait and occurs through the Bering Sea and northwestern Pacific (Andriyashev, 1954). However, its lack of commercial importance in comparison to other species of the genus leads one to believe that it may not be as abundant as the word “common” implies (Houston and McAllister, 1990).

Only three documented records of Bering wolffish in Canadian waters exist -- all in the Canadian Museum of Nature collections (see Appendix 1). Inuit of the area seem to have limited knowledge of the wolffish. They do not distinguish between Anarhichas orientalis and Anarhichas denticulatus (Northern wolffish), calling both by the name akoak or akoaksaluk (old woman fish) (Smith, 1977). One fishing guide/outfitter in Bathurst Inlet claims to catch wolffish on a regular basis, but does not distinguish between A. orientalis and A. denticulatus specimens (Warner, pers. comm., December, 2001). 

The unique appearance of the Bering wolffish should have made it well-known to the Inuit if it were common on any of their traditional grounds. However, this is not the case, leading one to believe that the wolffish is in fact rare and exists in extremely localized ecological situations. This conclusion is supported by negative results for the species from extensive sampling programs undertaken by Fisheries and Oceans, Canadian Museum of Nature, and various consultants reporting to oil and gas exploration interests. Fisheries data from the Arctic Biological Station spans the years 1947 to 1979, and the Canadian Museum of Nature alone undertook 5 major field expeditions under the leadership of Dr. D.E. McAllister, between the years 1961 and 1977. These sampling programs failed to find any A. orientalis specimens anywhere in the Canadian Arctic outside the three specimens already recorded from the Bathurst Inlet area (Houston and McAllister, 1990). Certainly there is not enough data on this species to document numerical increase or decline, and the negative results for the species obtained in the widespread surveys mentioned above seem to indicate that it is actually rare in Canadian Arctic waters outside of Bathurst Inlet.

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