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Preparations for the spawning started in December: after having chosen the spawning territory the male started to chase off the competition, or was this only a foreplay? Sculpins with mature roe have been caught in  fishermen’s nets during the last few weeks. The sculpins prefer sandy bottoms for spawning, at a depth of up to 10 metres. The spawning nest has a diameter of a quarter of a metre and the female lays her roes (five to eight thousand roe grains) there to be fertilized by the male. With this the female has fulfilled her part. The male sculpin stays to guard the nest for at least a couple of months. For hatching the roe needs movement, aeration and protection against unbidden guests. The watchdog sculpin at the sea bottom doesn’t even back off from a robber cod, not to speak of lesser nibblers. Because the fourhorn sculpin lacks a swimming bladder its place is on the bottom, lying in ambush; it swims with the aid of the large breast fins and the tail.