FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



511 



and back ranging from pale gray (sometimes with 

 purplish tinge) to dull brown or to dark dusky 

 olive; the belly ranging from dirty white or yellow- 

 ish or pinkish to the same dark shade as the back. 

 One of a pair that were caught side by side in 

 Northeast Harbor, Mount Desert, was pale 

 grayish white below while the other was amethyst 

 pink on the belly and on the lower side of the head. 

 Whatever the ground tint, the sides are dotted 

 with small dark spots clustered in irregular cross- 

 bars, extending out on the dorsal fin. And there 

 is a dark brown stripe running from eye to edge of 

 gill cover. 



Young fry, up to 3 or 4 inches long, are check- 

 ered along the sides and irregularly blotched on 

 the back with light and dark brown, and they have 

 a small but prominent black spot on the forward 

 part of the dorsal fin until about 1 foot long, but 

 this spot fades out with growth. 



Size. — The ocean pout is said to reach a length 

 of 3 l / 2 feet and to a weight of 12 pounds; Olsen and 

 Merriman's largest, among some 2,500 specimens, 

 was 38K inches long, weighing UK pounds, and 

 we have seen one of about 3 feet among the many 

 we have handled. But only a few grow longer 

 than 30 inches, with 16 to 28 inches as a fair 

 average for the general run of those that are 

 caught. 



The average weights of pouts of different size? 

 were about as follows for a large number taken in 

 the southern side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in 

 the Bay of Fundy, in the southwestern part of the 

 Gulf of Maine, and off southern New England: 

 16 inches, % pound; 18 inches, 1-1 % pounds; 20 

 inches, !%-!% pounds; 22 inches, 2-2% poundr; 

 24 inches, 2^-3 pounds; 26 inches, 3%-3% pound?'; 

 28 inches, 4% pounds; 30 inches, 5^ pounds. 34 



Remarks.— The ocean pout of North Europe 

 (Zoarces viviparus Linnaeus 1758), a very close 

 relative, is distinguishable from the American 

 eelpout, by having fewer fin rays (about 100 

 dorsal rays and 6 to 10 spines; 80 to 89 anal 

 rays), fewer vertebrae (101-126), smaller head 

 and mouth, and only a single row of teeth in the 

 front of the jaw, while some specimens have no 

 interruption between the dorsal fin and the caudal. 

 Also, the European ocean pout is a smaller fish, 



» According to graphs by Clemens and Clemens (Contrlb. Canadian Biol. 

 (1918-1920) 1921, fig. 5, p. 79), for the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Fundy; 

 and by Olsen and Merriman (Bull. Bingham Oceanographic Coll., vol. 9, 

 art. 4, 1946, fig. 4, p. 43) for the southwestern part of the Gulf of Maine and for 

 southern New England. 



and its eggs are retained in the ovaries of the 

 mother until after they have hatched, hence its 

 specific name viviparus. 



It is well known 3S that the European ocean 

 pout tends to break up into genetic races that are 

 partly correlated with environmental conditions. 

 And recent studies by Olsen and Merriman 3B 

 make it likely that there is a slower growing race 

 of ocean pout in the Bay of Fundy and perhaps 

 northward, a larger, faster growing race ranging 

 from Cape Cod southward, with each of these 

 including minor subpopulations. This interesting 

 subject would repay further investigation. 



Habits} 7 — The ocean pout is a ground fish, 

 as might be expected from the fact that it has 

 no swim-bladder, as well as from its food (see 

 p. 512). And the habits of fish kept in aquaria, 

 where they are described as remaining coiled up 

 in the darkest parts suggests that they spend 

 most of their fives hiding among sea weeds and 

 stones. They are described as moving slowly 

 backward and forward by undulations of the 

 fanlike pectoral fins or of swimming more rapidly 

 by undulating motions of the rear part of the 

 trunk and tail, with the pectorals wide spread 

 and held horizontal, and with the dorsal and anal 

 fins close to the body. 38 They swim actively 

 when disturbed. And it is almost unbelievable 

 to what a hopeless tangle of cord, fish, and slime 

 a few ocean pouts can reduce many fathoms of 

 long line set for other fish. 



The vertical range of the ocean pout in one 

 place or another extends at least as deep as 105 

 fathoms. 39 At the opposite extreme Clemens 

 and Clemens i0 report that young ones are some- 

 times found around rocks and in seaweed along 

 the shore in the Bay of Fundy during the ebb 

 tide. They are even known to run into rivers 

 for some distance, though always holding to the 

 bottom, i. e., to the undercurrent of water of 



" Especially from investigations by Johannes Schmidt and by J. V. O. 

 Smith (for list of references, see Olsen and Merriman, Bull. Bingham Ocean- 

 ographic Collection, vol. 9, art. 4, 1946, p. 182). 



■• Bulletin, Bingham Oceanographic Coll., vol. 9, art. 4, 1946, p. 116-117. 



" Olsen and Merriman (Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Coll., vol. 9, art. 4, 

 1946) have recently published a detailed study of the life history of the ocean 

 pout. 



» Willey and Huntsman (Canadian Field Naturalist, vol. 35. 1921, p. 6), 

 and Clemens and Clemens (Contrib. Canadian Biol [1918-1920], 1921, p. 71) 

 give some observations on the actions of ocean pouts kept in the aquarium at 

 the St. Andrews Laboratory. 



» Albatross III trawled 3 specimens from between 105 and 240 fathoms, on 

 the southwestern slope of Georges Bank in May 1950. 



« Contrib. Canadian Biol. (1918-1920) 1921, p. 72. 



