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Nearshore Saltwater Sportfish of New York

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Nearshore Saltwater Sportfish of New York J. H. Blake* Northern Puffer Sphoeroides maculatus— Also called blowfish or swellfish, the puffer gets these Little Skate Leucoraja erinacea—A small names from its ability to inflate its body with air or skate with dark spots on its dorsal water. When alarmed or even touched, the puffer uses surface, the little skate is usually found on sandy or a special sac that is a ventral extension of the stomach gravelly bottoms in water depths ranging from shallow to quickly expand to a very large size, protecting it shoals to nearly 1,000 feet. It is mostly active under from enemies. When left alone, it soon deflates. Puffers dark conditions, but is frequently caught during the day inhabit bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters, by anglers fishing for fluke. Although primarily a bottom eating primarily shellfish and an occasional finfish. feeder, mostly eating mollusks, it will also swim up to Unlike some of its cousins, the meat of the northern capture and devour small fish near the surface. This puffer is non-toxic. fish is increasingly popular as food, but is also used as Length: 10–14 inches bait for lobsters. Length: 12-20 inches Nim Lee Summer Flounder or Fluke Paralichthys dentatus—A flatfish, summer flounder have both eyes on one side of their heads, are colored only on the eyed side, and swim on their sides. They Sherman Foote Denton have large mouths and sharp canine teeth which they Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus—Also use to eat small fishes, squid, sea worms, shrimp and called bunker, mossbunker or pogy, Atlantic menhaden other crustaceans. Fluke are called left-eyed flatfish belong to the herring family. They are one of the most because their eyes are on the upper surface of the head when the fish is facing left. Bottom-dwelling abundant fish species in estuary and coastal Atlantic predators, they rely on their flattened shape and ability waters, migrating north and south in large, very compact to change color and pattern to surprise prey. Moving schools. An important commercial baitfish, menhaden inshore in the spring, fluke prefer sand or mud bot- are also harvested for production of oil, fertilizer and toms, but will remain around wharf pilings or other fishmeal. Menhaden are sensitive to oxygen levels in the structure. When threatened, they quickly bury them- water, and regularly die off by the thousands when large selves in the sand or swim away. Anglers use baited schools enter confined waters in hot weather. They feed bottom rigs to catch fluke. by filtering zooplankton and phytoplankton, and will also Average length: 18 inches; eat suspended organic plant matter. average weight: 3 pounds Length: up to 1 ½ feet NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT Reprinted from the New York State Conservationist, April 2007 To subscribe, visit www.theconservationist.org or call 1-800-678-6399 OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION Charles Bradford Hudson* Windowpane J.H. Richard* Flounder Scophthalmus aquosus— Weakfish Cynoscion regalis—Weakfish are long, Also called sundial or spotted slender fish with dark spots or wavy lines on their back flounder, the windowpane is a and sides. They get their name from their tender (or highly compressed, left-sided flatfish (eyes on upper weak) skin around the mouth which tears easily when surface of the head when the fish is facing left) with hooked. Weakfish enter New York’s waters in spring and Hickory Shad head south in fall. They are schooling fish and prefer numerous small, irregular, lighter or darker blotches on Alosa mediocris— shallow, sandy-bottom areas along beaches, in the its head, sides and fins. It is a year-round resident, Silvery, with a dark grayish-green back, hickory shad mouths of inlets, and in estuaries. Weakfish are predatory found over sandy areas in nearshore waters out to deep have a prominent lower jaw that juts out. Highly migra- and feed mostly on invertebrates and other fish. Anglers waters. Like all flounders, both eyes are on one side, tory, during late spring and early summer schools of fish on the bottom with a variety of baits (squid, worms) there is coloration on the top side only and it swims on adults are found in marine waters along the eastern and artificial lures (bucktails, diamond jigs) to catch its side. In New York, the windowpane is of little impor- coast (including estuaries and tidal rivers). these tasty fish. These fish are most active during times tance as a food or game fish, though it is sometimes Anadromous, hickory shad spend the bulk of their time of low light and at night. caught while angling for fluke. in the sea, only returning to freshwater to spawn. They Length: up to 3 feet; weight: up to 17 pounds Length: up to 19 inches eat small invertebrates (squid), crabs and small fish, as well as fish eggs. Hickory shad are sometimes used as bait for striped bass and bluefish. Length: up to 2 feet O New York’s marine Winter Charles Bradford Hudson* waters are home to a wide Flounder variety of fish species. In fact, Pseudopleuronectes americanus—Like fluke, winter Charles Bradford Hudson* flounder are flatfish, characterized by both eyes on one Long Island is ideally situated so side of their heads, coloration on their top side only, and that both southern and northern fish Tautog or Blackfish Tautoga onitus—Tautog or swimming on their sides. However, they differ from fluke species frequent our waters. Anglers blackfish are dark-colored, stout-bodied fish with thick in that winter flounder have small mouths, thick fleshy can fish for Atlantic cod, winter flounder rubbery lips and a long continuous dorsal fin. In spring, lips, tiny teeth, and are right-eyed flatfish (both eyes on and mackerel in the spring, or try their they move from deep into shallow local waters, prefer- the upper surface of the head when the fish is facing ring rocky sheltered areas near reefs, pilings, jetties and right). They get their name from the fact that they go into luck for bluefish, summer flounder and wrecks, or around mussel beds. Tautogs have blunt conical deep water in the summer and reappear in shoal waters triggerfish during the summer months. teeth used for crushing barnacles, mussels, snails, crabs, during the winter. They prefer sand or muddy bottoms Migratory in nature, many of the shrimps and lobsters. Because tautogs are bottom feeders, near shellfish beds and grassy areas, eating shrimps, marine species that frequent anglers use bottom rigs baited with crabs or clams. amphipods, crabs, sea urchins and snails. Anglers fish New York’s waters travel long Max length: 3 feet; max weight: 25 pounds for them on the bottom with mussels or seaworms. distances up and down the Length: up to 25 inches; weight: up to 8 pounds coast. Scup or Porgy Stenotomus chrysops— Nim Lee Scup are laterally flattened school- Sherman Foote Denton ing fish. Moving Black Sea Bass Striped Searobin inshore in the spring, Charles Bradford Hudson* Centropristis striata—Stout-bodied fish, black sea bass Prionotus evolans—Striped they occur in areas with have large pectoral and pelvic fins, and one long dorsal searobins inhabit sandy smooth or rocky bottoms, and are particularly plentiful fin instead of seperate spiny and soft-rayed fins. Small bottom areas of inshore estuaries out to deep water around jetties, piers, artificial reefs, offshore ledges and bass occur in bays, while larger ones are found offshore. up to 300 feet. They have large bony heads with in estuaries. Adults eat bottom invertebrates including They are one of the most popular bottom-fish species of ridges and spines, and unusual wing-like pectoral fins. small crabs, worms, clams, mussels, jellyfish and the northeast Atlantic Coast. They move inshore in Bottom-dwellers, they use modified rays on their pec- shrimp. Large adults will also eat small fishes. Delicious spring, frequenting artificial reefs, wrecks, rocks and toral fins to move and stir-up the bottom to find prey tasting, scup are popular sportfish. They are good fight- pilings. Sea bass eat a variety of bottom-dwelling such as crustaceans, bivalves, squid and other fish. ers and readily bite the bait or small lures used by species, including crabs, fishes, squids and worms. Searobins get their name from their ability to use anglers. Average length: 12 to 14 inches Anglers like their firm, white flesh, using bait such as their swim bladders to produce sound. They are used squid or clams to catch them. for bait and in pet food and fertilizer. Although some Max weight: 10 pounds, but average is only anglers enjoy eating searobins, most anglers consider 1 pound them a nuisance because they compete with more desirable species for the hooked bait. Length: the largest striped searobin ever recorded was taken in Long Island Sound; it was 19.6 inches long and weighed 3.4 pounds. Charles Bradford Hudson* Charles Bradford Hudson* Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus— Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus—Atlantic herring The Atlantic mackerel has a streamlined body and pow- are laterally compressed, streamlined, silvery fish with erful fins that enable it to swim at high speeds. It trav- bluish or greenish-blue backs. They have a slightly saw- els in large schools, with a single school stretching for toothed belly and a longer lower jaw that extends past as long as several miles. Voracious feeders, mackerel the top jaw. They travel along the coast in large schools, cruise near the water’s surface, feeding on smaller fish. feeding primarily on copepods. They spend the day in Anglers use multi-lure rigs (called mackerel trees) to deeper water, but rise to the surface at night. Many catch migrating mackerel off Long Island in March or popular gamefish species, as well as other marine November.
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