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M -^^^^7A^^@4 S7/ D,D 3 9 -fi FISHERtES AND OCEANS LIBRARY / BIBLIOTHÈQUE PÊCHES ET OCEANS OTTAWA, ONTARIO K1A 0E6 CANADA FISHES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF CANADA Bulletins of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada are designed to assess and interpret current knowledge in scientific fields pertinent to Canadian fisheries. Editor: J. C. STEVENSON Associate Editor: G. I. PRITCHARD Assistant Editor: R. H. WIGMORE Production: R. L. Maclntyre Fisheries Research Board of Canada Sir Charles Tupper Building Ottawa 8, Ontario, Canada The Board also publishes the Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada in annual volumes of twelve issues, and an Annual Report. Fisheries Research Board of Canada publica- tions are for sale by the Queen's Printer, Ottawa. Remittances must be in advance, pay- able in Canadian funds to the order of the Receiver General of Canada. Publications may be consulted at Board establishments located at Ottawa; Nanaimo and Vancouver, B.C.; Winni- peg, Man.; Ste. Anne de Bellevue and Grande-Rivière, Que.; St. Andrews, N.B.; Halifax and Dartmouth, N.S.; Ellerslie, P.E.I.; and St. John's, Nfld. (Frontispiece drawn by Paul Geraghty) BULLETIN NO. 155 Si) 273 Fishes of the Atlantic Coast Ne /If of Canada By A. H. LEIM Fisheries Research Board of Canada Biological Station, St. Andrews, N.B. and W. B. SCOTT Royal Ontario Museum University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA Ottawa, 1966 Frontispiece opposite: Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua © Crown Copyrights reserved Available by mail from the Queen's Printer, Ottawa, and at the following Canadian Government bookshops: OTTAWA Daly Building, Corner Mackenzie and Rideau TORONTO 221 Yonge Street MONTREAL lEterna-Vie Building, 1182 St. Catherine St. West WINNIPEG Mall Center Bldg., 499 Portage Avenue VANCOUVER 657 Granville Avenue or through your bookseller A deposit copy of this publication is also available for reference in public libraries across Canada Price $8.50 Catalogue No. Es 94-155 Price .subject to change without notice ROGER DUHAMEL, F.R.S.C. Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery Ottawa, Canada 1966 Fisheries Research Board req. no. 720-117. Contents FOREWORD, 1 INTRODUCTION, 3 Acknowledgments, 3 Historical review, 4 Oceanography of the region, 8 Classification system, 11 Nomenclature, 12 Area covered, 13 Outline of a species account, 13 IDENTIFICATION OF FISHES, 16 GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS APPLIED TO FISHES, 430 REFERENCES, 436 INDEX, 461 FOREWORD The need for a comprehensive authoritative book on Canadian Atlantic fishes has been recognized for many years. In 1956, Dr A. H. Leim began preparing such a book, drawing on his lifetime interest in the natural history of the region. At the time of his death in 1960, draft accounts of most species had been prepared. They supplied the basis on which Dr W. B. Scott, ichthyologist of the Royal Ontario Mu- seum, has completed this volume. In doing so, Dr Scott has contributed the follow- ing: the introductory passages (exclusive of the section on Oceanography); all keys; the class, subclass, ordinal, and family accounts; abbreviated write-ups for approx- imately 50 species; the glossary; distributional maps and range statements for species of special interest; and supervision of the drawings. Some accounts, such as that for the sticklebacks, have been rewritten because of special interest and the availability of new information. After careful consideration, it has been decided to publish the manuscript in its present state in order to provide a base for further research on the fishes of the area. Some lack of consistency of treatment for various species may be noted. This is a result of including species not among those originally described by Dr Leim. Some accounts may seem to be inconsistently brief. For many species this has been an unavoidable consequence of the limited state of knowledge. It is hoped that an early revision of this work will be possible. Errors or omis- sions found in the following pages should, accordingly, be called to the attention of either Dr Scott, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, or the Director, Fisheries Re- search Board of Canada, Biological Station, St. Andrews, N.B. Illustrations have been obtained from several sources. The United States Na- tional Museum, Smithsonian Institution, has made some of the famous Todd illustra- tions available as photographs or as originals through the good offices of Messrs L. W. Scattergood, G. W. Cains, and Dr A. C. Smith. Twenty-nine illustrations were completed by Todd and Stackhouse, commercial artists in Saint John, N.B. Most of the illustrations were done by Mr D. R. Harriott of St. Andrews, N.B. It has been a pleasure to associate with his conscientious competence. Several institutions have cooperated generously by lending specimens for models or examination. They include: the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard University, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the St. John's Biological Sta- tion of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada through its Director, Dr W. Temple- man. Officers of the Department of Fisheries of Canada have sent in unusual speci- mens, and many fishermen and other individuals have shown their constructive interest by submitting rare fish for examination. Dr W. J. Dyer of the Fisheries Re- search Board's Technological Laboratory, Halifax, has been a very productive inter- 1 mediary with the Halifax fishing fleet. Mr W. G. Carson, collector for the St. An- drews Station, has produced much interesting material for examination. The advice of the late Drs J. R. Dymond and W. A. Clemens during the early stages of the project proved very helpful and is much appreciated. The cooperation of the Royal Ontario Museum and of its Director, Dr W. E. Swinton, must be acknowledged for having allowed Dr W. B. Scott to divert his time to completing the volume. Finally acknowledgment should be made of the effective expediting of the project by Mr L. R. Day, who kept the work progressing in the face of many frustrations. J. L. HART, Director Fisheries Research Board of Canada Biological Station, St. Andrews, N.B. 2 INTRODUCTION This volume attempts the first step in filling the need for an authoritative ref- erence book on the fishes taken off the twenty-one thousand miles of Canadian Atlantic coastline from Grand Manan to Cape Chidley. It attempts to include ref- erence to all official records. However, despite much effort and full cooperation by many interested people, numerous matters of fact remain unresolved and the volume must be regarded as a base from which to expand and consolidate know- ledge. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The preparation of a work of this scope is only possible with the cooperation of many people. A complete list of all those who have contributed directly or in- directly is not possible. It is particularly regretted that the names of some whom Dr Leim would have undoubtedly acknowledged are unavailable. The staff of the Board's Biological Station, St. Andrews, N.B., warrants spe- cial thanks. Every possible courtesy was extended whether at sea or ashore, al- though there must have been times when patience was nigh exhausted and es- pecially so when strong formalin fumes pervaded the otherwise pleasant, salt- tanged atmosphere of the St. Andrews Station. Many members of the scientific staff contributed directly either by providing specimens, information, and advice, or by critically checking manuscript or drawings or both. Among these were: F. W. H. Beamish, L. R. Day, P. F. Elson, Y. M. L. Jean, C. J. Kerswill, A. C. Kohler, L. M. Lauzier, W. R. Martin, F. D. McCracken, R. A. McKenzie, J. C. Medcof, P. M. Powles, J. W. Saunders, R. L. Saunders, D. J. Scarratt, M. W. Smith, S. N. Tibbo, and D. G. Wilder. Special thanks are due to Mr Day for his valuable guidance and suggestions; to Dr Lauzier whose background in oceanography lent authority to the summary of the oceanography of the region; and to Dr J. L. Hart, Director of the Station, who encouraged and assisted in countless ways. The ichthyological and other scientific staffs of many institutions have been of inestimable help by providing a variety of services. The National Museum of Canada, the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Biological Station, St. John's, Newfoundland, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the United States Na- tional Museum have been particularly generous in making their collections avail- able. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance of the Board's station at St. John's; D. E. McAllister, National Museum of Canada; Julien Bergeron and Pierre Brunel, Station de Biologie Marine, Ministère de L'Industrie et du Commerce, Qué- bec; Gerard Beaulieu, Quebec Department of Fisheries; N. G. Gray, Canada Depart- ment of Mines and Technical Surveys; P. H. Greenwood and G. Palmer, British 3 Museum (Natural History); Henry B. Bigelow, Giles W. Mead, and Mrs. Myvanwy Dick, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University; W. C. Schroeder, Frank J. Mather III, and Richard H. Backus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; L. P. Schultz, E. A. Lachner, G. A. F. Garrick, and R. H. Gibbs, United States National Museum; E. C. Raney, Cornell University; D. R. Robins and D. de Sylva, Marine Laboratory, University of Miami; J. Bohlke, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; R. M. Bailey and R. R. Miller, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan; the late Mrs Marion Grey and L: P. Woods, Chicago Natural History Museum; Leslie W. Scattergood, Daniel M. Cohen, B. B. Collette, United States Bureau of Commercial Fisheries; R. Bolin, Hopkins Marine Station; and E. J. Crossman, Royal Ontario Museum, whose critical comments on many aspects of the manuscript are sincerely appreciated. Mrs. Isobel Radforth prepared a key to the genera of lanternfishes, family Myctophidae, and is deserving of special thanks.