2 Introduction 



Massachusetts; a warm-water zone south of Cape Hatteras, 

 North Carolina; and a temperate-water zone between Cape 

 Cod and Cape Hatteras. 



The temperate-water zone borders the heavily populated 

 states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New 

 York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, 

 and Virginia. Along their shores each year millions of 

 persons from these and adjoining states swim and fish, 

 go water skiing, boating, or beachcombing. Often as not, 

 while engaged in such pursuits, they see or catch un- 

 familiar marine fishes or fish-like vertebrates. The visitor 

 is curious to know their names and habits. 



Unfortunately, although a considerable amount of scien- 

 tific literature is available on the fishes in the region from 

 Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras, much of it is technical and 

 difficult to follow for anyone other than a professional 

 ichthyologist. While attempts have been made to bring 

 this information to the general public in the form of field 

 books or of faunal studies of a particular area, in my 

 opinion they have had only limited success. The keys for 

 identification of the various species have been restricted 

 and complicated by adherence to natural biological group- 

 ings such as orders and families. Or they have been difficult 

 to follow because the differentiating characters were ob- 

 scure, poorly defined, or hard to determine. 



In this guide, identification of the various species is 

 based primarily on easily seen external characters which 

 are employed for rapid identification of fishes in the field. 

 Biological groupings are disregarded. Identifying charac- 

 ters are illustrated on silhouettes of the fish, according to 

 the method used successfully by our Armed Forces to 

 teach highly technical information to their men during 

 World War II. Thus the amateur will be readily able to 

 identify most species, not only in the adult sizes but also 

 in the young, at least in those sizes most likely to be seen. 



The species included in this guide are all of the marine 

 fishes and fish-like vertebrates commonly found along the 

 shores of the temperate-water zone from Cape Cod to 



