Wolffish DVD Portrays Underwater Life of Little Known Species

May 2007 - "It's a scary creature….I'm frightened to death of it!" exclaims a fish harvester from Newfoundland.

The documentary, Wolffish: A Balance of Life, written and produced by Intervale in 2007, takes the viewer underwater to observe the behaviour of one of the most disliked and misunderstood marine fishes of the ocean world. Wolffish occur in eastern Canadian waters and have been caught as by-catch by nearly every commercial harvester in the region. Wolffish eat fish, crab, lobsters, and shellfish. When wolffish are caught in fishing gear, they are dangerous to handle. It is no wonder that nearly all harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador consider wolffish to be a nuisance.

But wolffish need our help. Since the 1980s, populations of three species of wolffish have undergone severe declines in eastern Canadian waters. The Species at Risk Act lists both the northern and spotted wolffish as "threatened" and the Atlantic, or striped, wolffish as "special concern."

The team that produced this 20-minute educational DVD has created a format in which harvesters discuss their feelings toward wolffish and the requirement by law that they release wolffish live in the place where they are caught. No scientists or governmental resource managers were interviewed for this production, which is targeted primarily for harvesters and other stakeholders in the fishing industry. The result, which reveals fascinating underwater footage interspersed with fishermen talking about real-life experiences at sea, make this a worthwhile and appealing film for all age groups. By viewing wolffish in their natural habitat, viewers are surprised to learn that wolffish, though fearsome by reputation, are actually docile, devoted parents, and important to marine ecosystems.

The DVD illustrates an important way in which wolffish help to maintain a balanced ecosystem. The creature's preference for eating sea urchins has been linked to healthy kelp bed habitats. Kelp beds are one of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet. Sea urchins graze voraciously on kelp. Large numbers of sea urchins can consume whole kelp beds, turning them into areas called "urchin barrens." By controlling sea urchin numbers, wolffish help protect kelp beds and the many species that rely on these habitats for food and shelter.

Wolffish have potential value to medicine. A special antifreeze protein in their blood may be of use in human organ transplants. Wolffish are eaten in parts of the world and could conceivably become an important commercially harvested species in Canada. The taste of the firm, white flesh of spotted and Atlantic wolffish has been likened to that of cod.

Since 2003, governments, industry groups, and nonprofit organizations have been helping to engage harvesters in dialogue about species recovery. Harvesters hope that eventually wolffish may be taken "off the list" and, until that time, they are doing their part by releasing wolffish live. There is much we do not know about wolffish. We do know that harvesters have a wealth of practical knowledge to share and that we must include them in the recovery process.

The recovery of other marine species, like Atlantic cod, will depend in part on the lessons we learn from helping to conserve wolffish.

Major funding for the DVD, Wolffish: A Balance of Life, comes from the Government of Canada Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, in collaboration with Vidcraft Productions. Intervale thanks these and other supporters who contributed to its production.

A video stream can be viewed at: www.oceanicresearch.org/education/films/wolffish_film.htm

For further information, contact info@intervale.ca

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