BIOLOGY OF THE MUTTONFISU 69 



VI. 



Contribution to the Biology of the Muttonfish, 

 Zoarces anguillaris. 



BY 



I WiLBERT A. Clemens, Ph.D., 



Assistant Professor in Biology, University of Toronto, 



AND 



Lucy Smith Clemens, Ph.D. 



1. INTRODUCTION. 



During the summer of 1918 at the St. Andrews Biological Station, St. Andrews, 

 N.B., the writers commenced a study of the life-history of the muttonfish, or eelpout, 

 (Zoarces anguillaris Peck). The primary object was to obtain some definite inform- 

 ation in regard to the life-history and abundance of the fish relative to the possibility 

 of placing it on the market and the results of that phase of the study have been 

 published (Clemens, 1920).* There remain considerable scientific data which are 

 presented here. 



The writers are much indebted to Dri A. G. Huntsman, Biologist to the Biological 

 Board of Canada, for suggesting the study and for kind advice and assistance. 



2. HISTORICAL. 



Zoarces anguillaris was described by Peck (1804). Besides giving a detailed 

 description. Peck states that the fish is taken on the haddock grounds, chiefly in 

 the months of March and April, and that it feeds principally on echini and asteriae. 

 Since that time reports of capture have been numerous, but no study of the life- 

 history has hitherto been undertaken. Storer (1839) gives a list of stomach contents, 

 and again (1867) describes the fish in detail with the addition of a good illustration. 

 He also gives a further list of stomach contents and states that the fish is occasionally 

 taken at all seasons of the year but more frequently in the spring and summer. Goode 

 (1884) states that it is frequently taken north of Cape Cod in winter with hook and 

 line and that it spawns in July and August in the deep waters of Massachusetts bay. 

 Nichols (1916) reports that it was taken throughout the year 1915 off New York 

 and was especially abundant in June. 



3. DISTRIBUTION ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST. 



The muttonfish occurs commonly along the Atlantic coast of Canada and northern 

 Llnited States, entering the bays and also the rivers for some distance. The extremes 

 of its range reported at the present time are Bradore (?) Bay, Labrador, and Fort 



* Issued in Bulletin No. IV in the Series " Histories of New Food Fishes. Biological 

 Board of Canada, Ottawa, July, 1920. 



