A Fish From Your Nightmares Was Caught Off Maine’s Coast

Scientists estimate that only 9 percent of all the species living in Earth's oceans have been discovered, with 95% of the ocean remaining unexplored. That means that the ocean off Maine's coast is home to creatures that are rarely seen, and some that humans have never seen before.

Cape Porpoise lobsterman John Daggett caught something in his lobster trap while fishing back in 2020 that is like something out of a horror movie.

The Village Magazine posted a picture of this monster on their Facebook page. Brace yourself. It's not pretty.

The name of this fish fits. It's called an Atlantic Wolffish.

According to Wikipedia, the largest one ever caught was five feet long and weighed 40 pounds. Despite its absolutely horrific appearance, the Atlantic Wolffish is good eating. Their numbers have been rapidly depleted by those harvesting them and ones that are unintentionally caught, like this beast.

They're now listed as a "species of concern", meaning we just don't have enough data to put them on the endangered species list. This one was released.

How did it get caught in the trap? Wolffish like lobster just as much as we Mainers do, and the ugly face here was probably feeding on this fisherman's catch when the trap was pulled up.

They are predators on the bottom of Maine's ocean that feed on clams, muscles, and scallops, just as we humans do, which can sometimes eat away at the supply, literally. Take a look at what these bad boys look like in their natural habitat.