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Tidal inlet in rye.

Started by Guest_FirstChAoS_* , Aug 28 2011 03:02 AM

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#1 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 03:02 AM

I went to the seacoast science center in Rye NH for a birding event and was too late for it. So I tried fishing the rocky shore with no luck, same with heading up the road to a muddy tidal inlet. I didn't plan on sampling but brought my net with me and started dip netting this tidal inlet or creek.

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My sampling method was simple, thrusting my dipnet under weeds and rocks to see what I can find.

My first two fish were Wrasse of some kind (maybe cunner). (Forgive me if I flub any ID's, the ocean is not a usual stomping place for me).

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I am glad I decided to photograph them as they were the only ones I got.

The most common fish were a kind of greenish stickleback with black stripes. Not intending to sample I didn't bring a phototank with me so I couldn't see the spines. But the spines ARE definately their. This was the ONLY stickleback I held in my hand, OUCH!

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One of the sticklebacks looked different (silvery instead of green with stripes) but the photo of it did not come out.

Green Crabs were very common, ranging from tiny ones to ones big enough to make me wonder if they are edible. This is one of the few I photographed as it shows the oddly bright green of the belly.

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#2 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 03:03 AM

Sculpins were quite common, I am nit sure on their ID features enough to tell you if these are grubby sculpins like me and bumpy got in Rhode Island or not.

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My crown of this trip was a large eel like fish I caught by scooping into deeper water under a bridge. Not sure if this is a rock gunnel or not.

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And a lone mummichog found under weeds at the channels edge, a LONE mummi? They are social where are the rest?

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As the tide rolled in I found a marshy channel further down that answered that question. The fish trying to flee me trapped themselves in a dead end that made them easy to net.

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I had to move my stuff up the shore a few times as the tide reached it, I think the tide killed my camera (the bucket it was in fell over a few times).

#3 Guest_mneilson_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 08:57 AM

Nice shots. I used to be an aquarist intern at the Seacoast Science Center a loooong time ago. That is definitely a rock gunnel (Pholis gunnelus).

#4 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 11:00 AM

That wrasse almost makes me want a saltwater native tank!

#5 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 08:28 PM

That wrasse almost makes me want a saltwater native tank!

The fish that makes me almost want a saltwater tank is the lumpfish. They are sort of cute and round looking, stick to surfaces, plus every lumpfish owner I seen on youtube videos seems very happy with their fish.

As for the Wrasse I assume it is a cunner but no two pics of cunner look the same so it is tough to tell. But the other wrasse in new england I could find info on (the tautog) seems to have a blunter face. Plus info on tautog north of the cape is odd. No real fishery or fishing rules for them, but a few records of them, and one site seemed to imply they are sort of "climate opportunists" heading north of the cape in warmer years only.

#6 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 08:55 PM

Cunner aren't so big, but the one in your picture is the smallest I've ever seen if it is a cunner. They usually prefer more open water along some kind of rocky shore.

#7 Guest_bumpylemon_*

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Posted 28 August 2011 - 11:37 PM

its def a cunner. def a rock gunnel. and that i believe is a nine spine stickleback! good job!

#8 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 02 September 2011 - 06:18 PM

Wow, every other picture I've seen of a cunner has made them look FAR less attractive.

#9 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 03 September 2011 - 12:01 AM

Wow, every other picture I've seen of a cunner has made them look FAR less attractive.

Every picture of a cunner I see looks completely different in color and patterns from every other picture of a cunner I have seen. They appear to be a highly variable species.