This pictorial guide has been compiled for use by Virginia Department of Agriculture Food Inspectors. It is to serve as a quick guide to species commonly found in Virginia markets to alleviate the problem of ambiguities and 11 common name  duplications

Doyle, R. T.

Merriner, J. V.

English

College of William & Mary: W&M Publish

W&M ScholarWorks Reports 1977 Pictorial guide to some common marine and estuarine fishes of commercial and sport importance J. V. Merriner Virginia Institute of Marine Science R. T. Doyle Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports  Part of the Marine Biology Commons Recommended Citation Merriner, J. V., & Doyle, R. T. (1977) Pictorial guide to some common marine and estuarine fishes of commercial and sport importance. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://doi.org/10.25773/99ca-r691 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@wm.edu. Pictorial Guide to some Common Marine and Estuarine Fishes of Commerc ia 1 and Sport Importance by J. v. Merriner and R. T. Doyle Virginia Institute of Marine Science Department of Ichthyology Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062 v1 v'-'\S QL (pQ8 \)S fvJ l.n1 1471 C. lf ' Pictorial Guide to some Common Marine and Estuarine Fishes .of Commercial and Sport Dnportance J. V. Merriner and R. T. Doyle VIMS - Dept. Ichthyology Gloucester Point, VA The release of Kepone in the James River and its subsequent dispersal into the water., sediments an::3. .biota have resulted in considerable public health monitoring. Since some fishes have heen shown t:n ha.11e bnrl.11 hin:1-'l.0.ris ,,f Kep:,ne. abOV(:'l the action level established by EPA and FDA, tb.,2. Virginia Department of Agriculture food inspectors sample shipments of finf ish for Kepone analysis. This market sampling pr;:ictice is a standard procedure established to insure quality and wholesomeness of Virgini::i. products reaching the market place. The marine and estuarine f inf ishes of Virginia· include approximately 400 species. Many species are migratory and/or spend only a portion of their life in Virginia waters. Others make repeated seasonal excursions into Virginia and some are full-time inhabitants of Virginia waters. This pictorial guide has been compiled for use by Virginia Department of Agriculture Food Inspectors. It is to serve as a quick guide to species commonly found in Virginia markets to alleviate the problem of ambiguities and 11 common name" duplications. The inspectors could consult a picture, compare to sampled fish, and - 1 = record both common and scientific name. Thus results of analyses would be plainly and unambiguously identified to species. Sources of more complete lists of fishes common to Virginia coastal waters include: Wass, M. L. et al. 1972. A checklist of the biota of lower Chesapeake Bay. VIMS Spec. Sci. Rep. No. 65. Gloucester Point, VA 290 pp. Hildebrand, S. F. and W. C. Schroeder. 1928. Fishes of Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Bur. Fisheries Bulletin Vol. 53, Pt. 1. 1972 reprint by T.F.H. Publications Inc., Neptune, No J. Bigelow, H.B. and W. C. Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. Fishery Bulletin. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Vol. 53. Wash. D. c. Reprinted by Museum Comp. Zool. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. = 2 -FIGURE NUMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 LIST OF FIGURES ·COMMON NAME Alewife American Shad Sea Herring Blueback Gizzard Shad Hickory Shad Menhaden Croaker Drum, Black Drum, Red Spot Northern Kingfish , · Spotted Seatrout Weakfish Bluefish Cobia Spanish Mackerel Striped Bass Crappie Yellow Perch White Perch Sunfish Butterf ish = 3 = SCIENTIFIC NAME Alosa pseudoharengus Alosa sapidissima Clupea harengus Alosa aestivalis Dorosoma cepedian~ . Alosa mediocris Brevoortia tyrannus Micropogon undula tus Pogonias cromis ~~~aenops ocellatus . Leiostomus xanthurus Menticirrhus saxa tilus Cynoscion nebulosus Cynoscion regalis Pom~tomus saltatrix Rachycentron canadum Scomberomorus maculatus Marone saxatilis Pornoxis sp. Perea f lavescens --- ------Marone americana ~sp. Peprilus triacanthus LIST OF FIGURES (cont'd) FIGURE NUMBER COMMON NAME 24 Harvestfish 25 Spadefish. 26 Scup 27 Sheepshead 28 Tautog 29 Black Sea Bass 30 Carp 31 Striped mullet 32 Summer Flounder 33 Winter Flounder 34 .Northern Puffer 35 Shark 36 American Eel 37 Sturgeon 38 Longnosed Gar = 4 -SCIENTIFIC NAME Peprilus alepidotus Chaetodipterus faber Stenostomus chrysops Archosargus probactocephalus Ta utoga oni tis Centropristis striata Cyprinus carpio Mugil cephalus Paralichthys dentatus Pseudopleuronectes americanus Sphoeroides·maculatus Anguilla rostrata Acepenser oxyrhynchus Lepisosteus osseus HERRING The true herrings are soft-finned fishes wholly lacking spines, with one short dorsal fin, deeply forked tails. Teeth are small Qr lacking in the adult, deep bodies flattened sidewise and large scales that slip off at a touch. Fig. 1. Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus Range - Florida to New England Gear - Pound nets, gill nets, weirs, dip nets, haul seines, floating traps, fyke nets Size - 10-11 inches average adult length Figo 2 American shad Alosa sapidissima Range - Florida to New England Gear - Gill nets, pound nets, fyke nets, haul seines Size - Adult males weigh from 1.5-6 lbs; adult females weigh from 3. 5-5 8 lbs Figo 3. Sea Herring Clupea harengus Range - New Jersey to New England, Pacific Coast states and Alaska, Lower Chesapeake Bay Early Spring Gear - Purse seines, weirs, floating traps, stop seines, pound nets Size - Up to 17 inches and LS lbs Fig. 4. Blueback Alosa aestivalis Range - New England to Florida Gear - Pound nets, gill nets, weirs, dip nets, haul seines, floating traps, fyke nets Size - 10-11 inches average adult length Note: Alewife and blueback appear identical at first glance. The alewife has a larger eye than the blueback and also a deeper body. The lining of the belly cavity is black in the blueback and light grey in the alewife. Fig. 5. Gizzard shad Dorosorn~ cepedianum Range - North Carolina to Maryland, Great Lakes Gear Haul seines, pound nets, gill nets Size - 11-12 inches average adult·length NOTE: Threadf in shad, which also have a long thread on the dorsal fin may be confused with gizzard shad. Threadfin, however, are smaller, non-commercial fish which have a head shape conspicuously different from the Gizzard Shad. Fig. 6. Hickory shad Alosa mediocris Range - Florida to Rhode Island Gear - Pound nets, haul seines, gill nets, Size - 15 inch average adult length - 6 -Fig. 7. Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus Range - Gulf of Mexico to New England Gear - Purse seines, pound nets , haulseines Size - 12-15 inches average adult length DRUMS AND DRUMLIKE FISH The croakers, drums and weakfish. These fish have both spiny and soft portion of the dorsal fin. Lateral line goes onto tail ---···-----·---·-----··-·---- . - 8 = Fig. 8. Croaker Micropogon undulatus Range - Gulf of Mexico to New York Gear. ~.Pound nets, otter trawls, haul seines, gill nets Size - 0.5-1.5 lbs average market size Fig. 9. Drum, black Pogonias cromis Range - Texas to North Carolina Gear Haul seines, pound nets, lines Size - 20-40 lbs with 60 lbs not exceptional Fig. 10. Drum, red Sciaenops ocellatus Range - Texas _to Maryland Gear - Pound nets, haul seines, gill nets, lines Size - Size of market fish may vary from 0.5 lbs to 40 lbs Fig. 11. Spot Leiostomus xanthurus Range - Gulf of Mexico to Middle Atlantic States Gear - Haul seines, gill nets, pound nets, otter trawls Size - 10.0-10.s inches average adult length Fig. 12. Northern Kingfish Menticirrhus saxatilus Range - Texas to Massachu-setts Gear - Otter trawls, haul seines, pound nets Size - 10-14 inches average adult length NOTE: Menticirrhus americanus and M. littoralis are also found in these waters:---11~. americanus closely resembles~. saxatilis except for a shorter-spinous dorsal fin. M. littoralis lacks the dark oblique bars on the sides. = 9 = Fig. 13. Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus . , .·· Range - Maryland to Texas Gear - Gill nets, traminel nets, haul seines, pound nets, otter trawls, handlines Size - 6-12 lbs Fig. 14. Weakfish or Grey Trout Cynoscion regalis Range - Florida to Massachusetts Gear - Otter trawls, pound nets, purse seines, gill nets, haul seines Size - 12-24 inches average adult length NOTE: The Sandtrout, Cynoscion rr.<2thus has been reported from these waters. It is usually not of commercial size. The sand trout is distinguished from the weakfish and spotted sea trout by the lack of distinct spots on · the body. ---------·-------··-· - 10 -BLUEFISH, COBIA, SPANISH MACKEREL Fig. 15. Blue£ ish :Poma tom us saltatrix Range - Gulf of Mexico to New England Gear - Haul seines, gill . nets, pound nets, · troll lines, purse seines Size - 1 lb fish is 1411 2 lb fish is 17 11 3 lb fish is 20-21n NOTE: Also known as snapper, taylor blue or taylor. 4 lb fish is 24" Fig. 16. Cobia Rachycentron canadum Range - Florida to Virginia Gear~ Handlines, pound nets Size - 10-50 lbs average weight Fig. 17. Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus Range - Texas to Virginia Gear - Gill nets, lines; haul seines Size - 1.5-4 lbs ,, PERCHLIKE FISHES Fig. 18. Striped bass Morone saxatilis Range - North Carolina to New England, California· to Oregon Gear - Haul seines, gill . nets, pound nets,· handlines, fyke nets Size - 3-15 lbs average market size,larger fish up to 50 lbs + Fig •. 19. Crappie Pomoxis sp. Range - Fresh-water lakes Gear Haul seines, lines, pots Size up to 12 inches Fig. 20. Yellow perch Perea flavescens Range - Great Lakes, other Gear - Gill nets, trap nets, pound nets, fyke nets Size - Averages less than 12 inches in length and 1 lb in weight = 12 -Fig. 21. White perch Morone americana Range - North Carolina to Maine Gear Pound nets, fyke nets, haul seines Size - Average weight less than 1 lb Fig. 22. Sunfish Lepomis sp. = 13 = Range - Fresh-water Gear - Pots, seines, trap nets Size - up to 10 inches BUTTER.FISH-LIKE FISH Fig. 23. Butterfish Peprilus triacan thus Range -·Florida to New England Gear - Pound nets, hauJ,. seines, otter trawls Size - 7-10 inches average market length Fig. 24. Harvestfish Peprilus alepidotus Range - North Carolina to Chesapeake Bay Gear - Haul. seines, pound nets t:r;-awlers Size - 7-10 inches average market length · ----b'-ig-.-2-5-.-£padef-ish-~hae-t0d-iJ;>-te-r1:1s:-f.a-b e:r--... --14 "" Range - Florida - Mid-Atlantic Gear - Gill nets, trammel nets, pound nets Size ·- 3-5 l.bs average market weight PORGYLIKE FISHES . Fig. 26. Fig. 27. Fig. 28. = 15 = Scup or porgy Stenostomus chrysops · Range· - Florida to New England ·Gear - Otter trawls, pound nets Size - 0.5-2 lbs average market weight Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus Range - Texas to Chesapeake Bay Gear - Hand lines, pots pound net Size - 5-15 lbs average weight Tautog Tautoga onitis Range - Chesapeake Bay to New England Gear - Pound nets, handlines, pots Size - 2-4 lbs average market weight Fig. 29. Black sea bass Centropristis stria ta Rang~ - Florida to New England Gear Otter trawls, hand lines, pots Size - up to 0.5 lbs from Chesapeake Bay Fig. 3'0, Carp .9Lerinu~ carpi~ Range - Fresh-water = 16 = Gear - Haul seines, gill nets, trap nets, fyke nets, pound nets, trotlines Size up to 30 inches Fig-. 3i. Striped mullet Mugil cephalus Ran·ge - Texas to New Jersey Gear - Gill nets, haul seines, pound nets, cast nets. Size - 8-12 inches average adult length, 15" maximum NOTE~ The white mullet, Mugil curema is also found in Chesapeake Bay area. It is distinguishe9 from the striped mullet by its plain coloration, i.e. lack of stripes along the scale rows. = 17 -FLATFISHES Fig .• 32. Summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus Range - Texas to Massachusetts Gear - Otter trawl, spears, lines Size - 0.5-6 lbs average market weight Fig. 33. Winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus Range - North Carolina to Maine Gear - Otter trawls, pound nets, f yke nets, spears, lines Size - 0.5-2 lbs average market weight NOTE: Other flatfish that are not normally found in the Virginia i-------markets-, -t-ut-m-a-y-o-c-c-a-s-:i::ona-1-1y-b-e-f-ound-:tnclud-e-the-:four-sp-ot flounder and the windowpane flounder. = 1.8 -© I) Fig. 34. Northern puffer Sphoeroides maculatus Range - Chesapeake Bay = 19 = to Middle Atlan~ic Gear - Pound nets, haul seines, otter trawls Size - up to 10 inches Fig. 35. Shark Range Gear Size - Atlantic coast,. Gulf, Pacific coast states - longlines, gill nets, otter trawls - Variable Fig. 36. American eel Anguilla rostrata Range - Florida to New England and in Mississippi River, Lake Ontario Gear - Pots, spears~ '. pound nets · Size - From 12-36 inches Fig. 37. Sturgeon Acepenser oxyrhynchus Range - Coastal and river areas Gear - Gill nets, lines Size - Up to 36 inches Note: This is an endangered species NOTE: The shortnosed sturgeon, Ace12enser brevirostrum, not recElntly reported from the Chesapeake Bay resembles ~. oxyrhynchus to a great deal. The shortnosed sturgeon is generally smaller and much darker in color, being dirty olive-qreen or brown. lfi Fig. 38. Longnosed gar or garfish Lepisosteus osseus Range - Fresh-water Gear Haul seines, lines Size - Up to 6 feet o, References. Illustrations and data from: Bigelow, H.B. and w. C. Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. Fishery Bulletin. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Vol. 53. Wash. D. c. Reprinted by Museum Comp. Zool. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Hildebrand, s. F. and w. c. Schroeder. 1928. Fishes of ·chesapeake Bay. U.S. Bur. Fisheries Bulletin Vol. 53, Pt. 1. 1972 reprint by T.F.H. Publications Inc., Neptune, N. J. Eddy, SamueL 1957. How to Know the Freshwater Fish. Wm. c. Brown Company Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa. - 21 -" COMMON NAME Alewife American Shad American Eel Atlantic Spadefish Blueback Bluefish Butterfish Carp Cobia Crappie Croaker Drum, Black Drum, ·Red Flounder, summer Flounder, winter Gizzard Shad Harves tlish Hickory Shad Longnosed gar Menhaden Northern Kingf ish No1"thern puff er COMMON NAME INDEX SCIENTIFIC NAME Alosa pseudoharengus Alosa sapidissima Anguilla rostrata Chaetodipterus faber Alosa aestiva lis Poma tom us salta trix Peprilus triacanthus Cyprinus carpio Rachycentron canadum Pomoxis sp. Micropogon undulatus Pogonias cromis Sciaegops ocellata Para lich tl:!Y§_ den ta tus Pseudopleuronecte~ americanus Peprilus alepidotus Alosa rnediocris Lepisoste~ £~seus Brevoortia tyrannus Menticirrhus saxa tilus Sphoeroidef, ma.culatus FIGURE NUMBER Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 36 Fig. 25 Fig. 4 Fig. 15 Fig. 23 Fig. 30 Fig. 16 Fig. 19 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 32 Fig. 33 Fig. 5 Fig. 24 Fig. 6 Fig. 38 Fig. 7 Fig. 12 Fig. 34 -----.£mr1?--·-·-----·------£-ter:i.o-tomus-ch-r-ysops------·---- ____ f-ig_. ___ 26--------Sea Bass., Black Centropristis striata Fig. 29 - 2?. -® ,· COMMON NAME INDEX (cont'd) FIGURE COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME NUMBER Sea Herring Clupea harengus Fig. 3 Shark Fig. 35 Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus Fig. 27 Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus Fig. 17 Spot Leiostomus xanthurus Fig. 11 Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus Fig. 13 Striped . Bass Morone saxatilis Fig • 18 Striped mullet Mugil cephalus Fig. 31 Sturgeon Acepenser oxyrhynchus Fig. 37 Sunfish Lepomis sp. Fig. 22 Tautog Tautoga onitis Fig. 28 · Weakfish Cynoscion regalis Fig. 14 White Perch Morone americana Fig. 21 Yellow Perch Perea f lavescens Fig. 20 ---- 23 -SCIENTIFIC NAME INDEX <} SCIENTIFIC NAME Acepenser oxyrhynchus Alosa aestivalis Alosa mediocris Alosa pseudoharengus Alosa sapidissima Anguilla rostrata Archosargus probatocephalus Brevoortia tyrannus Centropristis striata Chaetodipterus faber Clupea harengus Cynoscion nebulosus Cynoscion regalis Cyprinus carpos Dorosoma cepedianum Leiostomus xanthurus Lepomis sp. Menticirrhus saxatilus Morone americana -----Morone saxatilis --~~ ~--~-I Mugil S':..'§!J2.ha lus l------paE_a-1::tchthys-dentatus ---1 I I C .• FIGURE COMMON NAME NUMBER Sturgeon Fig. 37 Blueback Fig. 4 Hickory Shad Fig. 6 Alewife Fig. 1 American Shad Fig. 2 American Eel Fig. 36 Sheepshead Fig. 27 Menhaden Fig. 7 Black Sea Bass Fig .• 29 Spadefish Fig. 25 Sea Herring F1g. 3 Spotted Seatrout Fig. 13 Weakfish Fig. 14 Carp Fig. 30 Gizzard Shad Fig. 5 Spot Fig. 11 Longnosed Gar Fig. 38 Sunfish Fig. 22 Northern Kingfish Fig. 12 Croaker Fig. 8 White Perch Fig. 21 Striped Bass Fig. 18 Striped Mullet Fig. 31 --------S1Jffil1ler-F:l::oun:der----------- · -F-ig.-3-2------ ---Harvestf ish Fig. 24 = 24 = SCIENTIFIC NAME INDEX (cont'd) FIGURE SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME NUMBER Peprilus triacanthus Butterfish Fig. 23 Perea flavescens Yellow Perch Fig. 20 Pogonias cromis Black Drum Fig. 9 Pomatomus saltatrix Bluefish Fig. 15 Pomoxis sp. Crappie Fig. 19 Pseudopleuronectes americanus Winter Flounder Fig. 33 Rachycentron canadum Cobia Fig. 16 Sciaenops ocellata Red Drum Fig. 10 Scomberomorus maculatus Spanish Mackerel Fig. 17 Sphoeroides maculatus Northern Puffer Fig. 34 Stenotomus chrysops Scup Fig. 26 Tautoga onitis Tautog Fig. 28 Shark Fig. 35 - 25 -

Pictorial guide to some common marine and estuarine fishes of commercial and sport importance

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Pictorial guide to some common marine and estuarine fishes of commercial and sport importance

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