American Ocean Pout 403 



Economic Importance: A good food fish common in the 

 commercial catch of the fisheries north of Cape Cod. 



American Ocean Pout, Eelpout 

 Macrozoarces americanus (Bloch and Schneider) 



Color: Ground color variable; upper surface and sides of 

 body muddy yellow, reddish brown, olive green, pale 

 gray. Belly same color as rest of body or white, yellow, or 

 pink. Sides dotted with dark spots clustered in irregular 

 crossbars going out onto dorsal fin. A dark brown stripe 

 goes from the eye to the edge of the gill cover. 

 Distribution: Newfoundland south to Delaware. 

 Size: Reaches a length of W2 feet and a weight of 12 

 pounds. 



General Information: The American Ocean Pout is a bot- 

 tom species. It is common in depths of 50-250 feet and 

 has been caught down to depths of over 600 feet. Spawning 

 takes place in autumn. A fish almost 3 feet long contained 

 over 4,000 eggs. The eggs are laid in masses and are held 

 together on the bottom by a gelatinous material. In south- 

 ern New England, fish one foot long are 3 years old; 2 

 feet long, 6-7 years old; 3 or more feet long, 12-16 years 

 old. This species feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates, 

 including shellfish, crustaceans, sea urchins, and brittle 

 stars. 



Economic Importance: The American Ocean Pout was 

 marketed in quantities for the first time during World 

 War II. Discovery of a parasite in the flesh which resulted 

 in the condemnation of large amounts of fish discouraged 

 the fishery, and commercial landings are now negligible. 



