From February to May we welcome a bizarre visitor to the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. This is spawning season for the lumpfish. With its clumsy shape this fish doesn’t have a swimming bladder. But it makes up for this shortcoming, as its pectoral fins are transformed into a suction disc– allowing it to hold on to the seabed and withstand the current. This also plays a role in reproduction when the blue-grey females meet the bright orange males. The lumpfish males are responsible fathers. After the eggs are laid they are guarded to total exhaustion.
Baltic Sea LIFE - DISCOVER.UNDERSTAND.PROTECT.