salmon, Oncorhynchus keta. Only one wolf eel 

 was tagged and its length was not recorded 

 (Gould 4 ). The juvenile was recaptured on 12 

 July 1980, 23 km off Willapa Bay, Wash., and 

 was 502 mm long (Fig. 1). Distance traveled 

 from tagging location to recapture site was about 

 593 km in 628 d. Approximate average move- 

 ment was 0.94 km/d. 



Information about the early life history of wolf 

 eels has been sparse. Kanazawa (1952) and 

 Marliave (1978) both observed a change to adult 

 characteristics of pigmentation and dentition at 

 lengths between 500 and 600 mm SL. Marliave, 

 who has reared wolf eels at the Vancouver Public 

 Aquarium in British Columbia, placed the 

 juvenile-adult changeover at the end of the first 

 year of life. He also noted that the fish, by the age 

 of 3 mo, had begun to prefer the bottom except 

 when feeding. Shelter seeking and territoriality 

 became evident between 4 and 5 mo of age and 

 about 200-400 mm long. At the end of 15 mo the 

 fish ranged from 600 to 950 mm in length with a 

 mean of just under 700 mm. 



The tagged juvenile specimen has provided the 

 first evidence of a difference in early life history 

 of wild wolf eels compared with aquarium- 

 reared fish with regard to juvenile behavior, 

 growth rate, and length of time in the juvenile 

 phase. This wolf eel possessed juvenile charac- 

 teristics of coloration and dentition and was a 

 minimum of 2+ yr in age. It was pelagic and be- 

 low the lower end of the growth range attained 

 by aquarium fish in 15 mo. 



There have been no reports in the literature 

 documenting migratory behavior of this species. 

 Adult wolf eels are known to exhibit strong ter- 

 ritoriality and attraction to some type of struc- 

 ture as shelter. Also a strong homing instinct 

 exists even though a considerable amount of ter- 

 ritory is covered while feeding away from shelter 

 (Hulberg and Graber 1980). 



Ayres, a fish inhabiting the eastern North Pacific 

 Ocean. Calif. Fish Game 38:567-574. 

 Marliave, J. G. 



1978. Laboratory culture of wolf eels. Annu. Proc. Am. 

 Assoc. Zool. Parks Aquar., p. 160-167. 



David R. Miller 



Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA 

 2725 Montlake Blvd. E. 

 Seattle, WA 98112 



Literature Cited 



Hulberg, L. W., and P. Graber. 



1980. Diet and behaviorial aspects of the wolf-eel, Anar- 

 rhichthys ocellatus, on sandy bottom in Monterey Bay, 

 California. Calif. Fish Game 66:172-177. 

 Kanazawa, R. H. 



1952. Variations in the wolf eel, Anarrhichthys ocellatus 



4 A. Gould, Biologist, South Coast Division, Department of 

 Fisheries and Oceans-Pacific Region, 1090 West Pender St., 

 Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 2P1, pers. commun. 

 December 1980. 



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