Guide to Common Fishes of the Delaware Inland Bays Fish Survey

Andrew McGowan, Environmental Scientist, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

Dennis Bartow, Schoolyard Habitat Coordinator, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

Ron Kernehan, Founder of Inshore Fish Seine Survey, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

Mummichog:

Soft body, blue iridescent, may have speckles or stripes, which are yellow or bluish. Often confused with Striped Killifish for first time fish volunteers. Killifish have black stripes, no blue iridescence, mummichog have yellow or blue stripes, not black.

Striped Killifish:

Black stripes can be vertical (male) or horizontal (female). Harder body than mummichog, with black stripes, not blue or yellow. No blue iridescence.

Atlantic Silverside:

Can be confused with anchovy, mouth of silver side is angled downward on a slant.

Bay Anchovy/Striped Anchovy:

Terminal mouth, not angled downward like silverside. Bay anchovy has short snout, stripe about as wide as pupil, and the anal fin origin is near the front of the dorsal fin origin or just slightly behind it. Striped Anchovy has longer snout, and the anal fin begins in the latter portion of the dorsal fin

Bay Anchovy: short snout, terminal mouth not angled like silverside. Anal fin origin aligns with beginning of dorsal fin.

Atlantic Croaker:

Dome shaped body just like spot.

Croaker have serrated gills, and a tail which has the ventral portion elongated slightly

Spot:

Dome shaped body, very similar to Croaker. Tail is squared off or slightly forked, not ventrally elongated like Croaker.

Weakfish:

Bland silver color will resemble croaker or spot at first, but the body is longer and narrower (less dome shaped). Tail is elongated in the middle.

Silver Perch:

Bland silver color very similar to weakfish. Tail is rounded though, and mouth angled downward

Pinfish:

Red colored dorsal fins, yellow horizontal striped, black or blue vertical bars.

Winter Flounder:

Right sided flounder. Looks like the right side of its body is looking at you. Small pectoral fin is present.

HogChoker:

Right sided flounder. Pectoral fin usually absent. Dorsal fin extends all the way to mouth.

Summer Founder:

Left sided flounder. The left side is looking at you. Not see through like the Window Pane flounder.

White Mullet/Striped Mullet:

Squarish looking scales, blue blotch at base of pectoral fin. Gold colored operculum.

Striped mullet has 8 anal fin rays, White Mullet has 9 anal fin rays. Striped mullet will have more pronounced stripes. White mullet is more common here.

Bluefish:

Distinct zig zag scale pattern, laterally compressed, sharp teeth.

Atlantic Menhaden:

Ventrally deep body. Laterally compressed and has serrated scales along bottom of fish. If you run your finger along the ventral (bottom) portion of the fish from the tail to head it will feel like you’re running your fingers over a dull knife.

Serrated Scales

Sheepshead Minnow:

Upside down dark colored triangles on body. Often has black line on end of tail.