Biology and distribution

The catfish is a large sized, rather long fish, usually around 50 to 60 cm long, but the largest individual caught in Icelandic waters measured at 125 cm. It is found all around Iceland, but is most common off Vestfirdir (West Fjords) peninsula in the west. It mostly occurs on mud or sand bottoms at depths between 40 to 200 m. It is found in European waters from Murmansk in the north to the English Channel in the south. It is also around the Faroe Islands, in southern Greenlandic waters and from Labrador to Cape Cod in North America.

The catfish has enormously strong jaws and teeth. In fact so strong that it has to be handled with caution by fishermen. However, these strong jaws are not put there by nature to bite fishermen but to crush shellfish and echinoderms as these are the main food of the catfish. It also feeds on fishes, such as capelin, when available.

Atlantic catfish fishing grounds in 2007 (tonnes /nm2). All gear combined. dark areas indicate highest catches.

Source: The Marine research Insittute

The spotted catfish is very similar to its more common cousin the Atlantic catfish, except it has a spotted coloration similar as leopards. It can get quite large or up to 144 cm long. Unconfirmed sources indicate a maximum size of 180 cm. It can be found all around Iceland, but is much more common in the colder waters in the north and east. It chooses deeper waters than the Atlantic catfish, or a depth of between 100 and 700 m, mostly on mud og sand bottom. It is found in European waters from Spitzbergen in the north to the northern North Sea in the south. It is also around the Faroe Islands, in southern Greenlandic waters and from Labrador to Cape Cod in North America.

It has strong jaws, but not as strong as the Atlantic catfish. It mainly feeds on echinoderms such as brittle stars. Curiously it is not a good friend of its close relative, the Atlantic catfish as the spotted catfish likes to eat the eggs of the Atlantic catfish. Very little is known about the spawning of the spotted catfish.

Source: The Marine research Insittute