And then there was one

According to the Directorate of Fisheries & Aquaculture’s register, 15 licences have been granted to produce both spotted wolffish and catfish. These have a varied maximum allowable biomass, and range geographically from Finnøy to Tromso.

However, the volume of these species produced in recent years is not currently obtainable, with the directorate currently on its summer break.

Nevertheless, according to kyst.no, Aminor, which is based in Meloy Nordland and began to produce spotted wolffish last year, may well be the last producer of the species, and the company's Facebook page show that they had a successful first hatching in April.

“Their appetite is big, mortality is low and the fry grow well = a breeder's dream. This robustness – as well as the fact that it is one of the best types of seafood available – is why we have chosen to focus on breeding of spotted wolffish," the company writes.

It also emerges that the company was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" among start-ups in Meloy Municipality, and it seems like they are optimistic about future production.

“The build-up to the next breeding season is now in full swing and the new feed recently introduced to the broodstock seems to appeal. We will be devoting much attention to this department, which is key to our long-term plans, in the weeks ahead,” they add.

Despite Aminor’s optimism a fellow wolffish producer, Tomma Steinbit, recently decided to switch to producing lumpfish for the salmon sector.

According to the aquaculture register, cat-/wolffish been farmed in Norway for nearly 30 years, with the first recorded licence awarded at the end of 1989.

“We've had wolffish here all these years and have run some small-scale experiments in recent years. Previously, we had a lot of activity, especially in fish health, but it has declines in recent years,” Rita Saether, general manager at the aquaculture station in Tromso, told kyst.no.