13-20 



FINFISH 



Although severely polluted, New Haven Harbor supports a 

 diverse and productive ichthyofauna. The harbor provides habitat for 

 many commercially, recreationally and ecologically important fishes, and 

 although it does not support a local commercial finfishery, it does 

 support a healthy local sport fishery. New Haven data indicate that 

 although the harbor serves as a feeding ground and a nursery area, it is 

 not a major spawning ground for finfish (with the possible exception of 

 bay anchovy) , and is not dependent on in-harbor spawning for recruit- 

 ment of finfish eggs, larvae and juveniles. For most species, the 

 harbor is apparently an "importer" of finfish eggs, larvae and possibly 

 juveniles, and an "exporter" of juvenile, pre-adult or adult fish with 

 the result that there is no discrete, resident population of finfishes 

 in New Haven Harbor. 



Seventy- four species of finfish were caught using seine, gill 

 net and otter trawl from May 1971 to October 1977. None were unusual 

 occurrences, except for a sturgeon (probably Atlantic) which we believe 

 was of Connecticut River origin. Species which were uncommon in the New 

 Haven collections were either species at the geographic limit of their 

 distribution (e.g., blue runner, smallmouth flounder), non-estuarine 

 species (e.g., haddock, pollock), or species not readily caught by the 

 methods used (lamprey, gobies) . 



The most common resident fishes of the New Haven shore zone 

 (intertidal and shallow subtidal) were Atlantic silversides, striped 

 killifish and mijmmichogs. Along with juvenile menhaden which occasion- 

 ally occurred abundantly in the shore zone, these species comprised over 

 95% of all fishes seined in New Haven from May 1971 through October 

 1977. Peaks of shore-zone fish abundance occurred in July or August. 



Three classes of demersal fish (sea bottom) can be defined for 

 New Haven Harbor: harbor residents, Long Island Sound residents which 

 utilize the harbor under favorable conditions in spring and fall, and 



