As Easter approaches, we would like to introduce you with Sea Bunnies or lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus). The lumpfish is still a mystery to most of the public, as it has no significant economic significance in the Baltic Sea. In Northern Europe, on the other hand, it is used in small quantities and is caught to produce eggs, which are equated with caviar.

This species is also characterized by family and Easter celebration traditions. They pair up during spawning and spawn from February to April on the shore in shallow rocky places with rich vegetation. After spawning, the female returns to the depths, but the male remains guarding the eggs for almost two months and is aggressive during this time. In males, the pectoral fins and abdomen turn orange-red during spawning, but the females may be bluish green.

This species is found in the North Atlantic, but in Europe - on the North and West coasts, also in the entire Baltic See and the Northern part of the Gulf of Riga. In the lightly salty Baltic Sea, the lumpfish gets to the size of a fist, but in the North Atlantic and other adjacent seas it can reach the size of a basketball. On the Latvian coast, female lumpfish can grow up to 20 cm long, a few centimeters longer than males.

A very special feature of this species is the abdominal fins. They have been transformed into a large, elongated abdominal suction disc. With the help of this belly fin, the lumpfish can get attached and stick even to the metal wall.

The lumpfish, together with the fourhorn sculpin, viviparous eelpout and common seasnail, is one of the glacial relic fish species in the Baltic Sea. These are species that entered the Baltic Sea basin after the end of the last ice age (12,000 years ago) and remained in the next stages of the Baltic Sea's development. These species need cold and oxygen-rich water all year round.

Wishing you adventurous holidays and happy Easter with the family,
LIFE REEF project team