Sea Fishing from Shore and Boat

CHAPTER XXIV

BRITISH SEA FISH

By G. A. BOULENGER, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., &c.

THE GREY MULLETS (Mugil)

THE fishes of this genus are easily recognised by their feebly compressed body and short, rounded head, both covered with large, strongly overlapping scales; the infero-lateral eyes, better visible from below than from above; the absence of a lateral line; the small transverse mouth, furnished with small or setiform teeth; the presence of two dorsal fins, the first formed of 4 or 5 spinous rays, the second, opposed to the anal, formed of a few branched rays; the shortness of the pectoral fin, which is inserted rather high up the side, and the position of the ventral fins about midway between the bases of the pectoral and first dorsal fins. These ventral fins are neither free from the pectoral girdle, as in Belone and salmon, pike, and carp, nor attached to the clavicles, as in perches; the bones on which they are inserted are suspended from a pair of long, rod-like bones, the so-called post-clavicles, which descend from the shoulder. In other respects, too, it may be said that the Mugilidœ, now placed among the Persesoces, hold an intermediate position between the soft-rayed and the spiny-rayed fishes, as we have mentioned above à propos of the gar-fish.

The branchial apparatus of these fishes is peculiar for the presence of series of long, closely-set appendages or gill-rakers on the concave side of each gill-arch, these gill-rakers curved inwards and meeting similar appendages inserted on the mucous membrane of the pharynx, to form a sort of filtering apparatus by which the thicker matter engulfed by the fish is retained in the mouth, whilst the water is expelled through the gill openings; for the Mullus feed to a great extent on diatoms in mud and on decayed animal and vegetable substances. In consequence of this régime the gut is extremely elongate, coiled up in numerous convolutions. But they also consume great quantities of bivalve and univalve mollusca, to crush the shells of which the stomach is provided with a thick-walled muscular appendage much like the gizzard of a bird.

51.—GREY MULLET.

52.—RED MULLET.

Most of the grey mullets are sea fishes, but resorting in preference to estuaries and marshy ponds, where they spawn, and also ascending rivers beyond tidal influence. They are sometimes kept, and breed in fresh-water ponds. All are remarkable for their agility and their habit of constantly leaping over the surface of the water.

The genus Mullus is of almost world-wide distribution. About eighty species are known, three of which occur in the British islands:—

1. The thick-lipped grey mullet (Mugil chelo).

2. The golden grey mullet (M.auratus).

3. The thin-lipped grey mullet (M. capito).

As these species are often confounded, and as much remains to be done in ascertaining their exact distribution on our coasts, it is necessary to enter somewhat fully into their distinctive characters.

The first species, M. chelo, which appears to be the commonest, is remarkable for its thick upper lip, often beset with large wart-like papillæ on its inferior half; the diameter of the upper lip, in the middle, in the adult is more than half that of the eye; the chin is entirely covered by the bones of the lower jaw, or they leave between them only a very narrow strip uncovered. The pectoral fin measures at least three-fourths the length of the head, and there is no free scale above its axil.

M. auratus is intermediate between the preceding and the following species. The upper lip is thin, its diameter not more than half that of the eye, and hardly projects beyond the cleft of the mouth, which is nearly terminal; the rami of the lower jaw leave a lanceolate space on the chin uncovered. The pectoral fin measures at least three-fourths of the length of the head, and there is no free scale above its axil.

LOWER VIEW OF HEAD OF (A) Mugil chelo; (B) M. capito.

In M. capito the upper lip is even thinner than in M. auratus, its width always much less than half the diameter of the eye; there is a lanceolate naked space on the chin as in M. auratus. The pectoral fin is shorter than in either of the preceding species, and a free scale is present above its axil.

The three species are similarly coloured, grey, or greyish brown, above, silvery white below, with more or less distinct dark streaks following the series of scales. But M. auratus is distinguished by the presence of a golden spot on the gill-cover, whence the name, golden grey mullet.

The thick-lipped grey mullet reaches a length of three feet, and is, according to Mr. J. T. Cunningham, the only species commonly found at Plymouth; it is also the one most frequently sold on the London market. The two other species do not exceed a length of two feet. M. capito is on record from Scotland, the south coast of England, and Ireland; it has a very extensive distribution, occurring from the coasts of Scandinavia all along the Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope, being also found in the Mediterranean and the Lower Nile.

M. auratus, which has nearly the same distribution, but is not known to occur south of the mouth of the Congo, where it is common, is sometimes sold in the London market, and specimens from Cheltenham are preserved in the British Museum, from the collection of the late Mr. Francis Day, who confounded this species with M. capito in his work on British fishes.

It is much to be desired that anglers should pay due attention to the distinctive marks of these three kinds of grey mullet, in order to throw more light on their distribution on our coasts.

THE COD FAMILY (Gadidæ)

The relations and systematic position of this group of fishes, so important from an economic point of view, have been, and are still, a subject of contention among ichthyologists. Having no spines to their fins, the Gadids used, in Cuvierian days, to be associated with the herrings, Salmonids, pike, and such like, in the artificially conceived order of Malacopterygians or soft-finned fishes. But, on the ground of their air – bladder being closed, or deprived of a pneumatic duct communicating with the digestive canal, such as is characteristic of the true Malacopterygians and of most other soft-finned fishes, they were removed from them and placed with the flat fishes, or Pleuronectids, in a sub-order, "Anacanthini," regarded as intermediate in position between the Acanthopterygians, or spiny-finned fishes, and the Malacopterygians. It has, however, been shown, I should even say conclusively proved, that the flat fishes bear no relationship to the Gadids; they are, in the opinion of the writer, most nearly akin to the John Dories, or Zeidæ, with which they are connected by an extinct type, Amphistium, from the Eocene, giving us an idea of what the common ancestor of these forms, so different in appearance at the present day, must have been like. Although we have no hesitation in removing the Gadids from the vicinity of the flat fishes or of the Malacopterygians, we find it difficult to suggest which group the Anacanthini, now restricted to the Gadidæ and the Macruridæ, may have been derived from; in trying to reconstitute the phylogeny of the bony fishes, we should probably seek for their direct ancestors among the sub-order Haplomi, including the pike and the numerous allies of the Bombay duck (Harpodon), the Scopelidæ, rather than from any of the Acanthopterygians, as was at one time believed.

Any of our readers who might feel interested in the recent views on the relationships of the Gadidæ, should refer to the paper by the writer in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, vol. x. 1902, p. 295, and to another by Mr. C. Tate Regan in the same journal, vol. xi. 1903, p. 459.

The Gadidæ may be described as Teleosts with closed air-bladder, with all the fin-rays articulated, made up of distinct segments, and flexible, with a perfectly symmetrical caudal fin which is not supported by an enlarged fan-shaped bone, and with the ventral fins inserted in advance of the pectoral fins, and not connected with the bones of the shoulder-girdle otherwise than by ligament. The scales are small, smooth, and thin, and the chin is frequently provided with a fleshy appendage or barbel. The very forward position of the ventral fins serves to distinguish these fishes from all other piscine members of our fauna in which the body is symmetrical and the fin-rays are all articulated and flexible.

About 120 species are distinguished, mostly marine, many being adapted to life at great depths; all are carnivorous. They inhabit chiefly the northern seas, but many abyssal forms occur between the Tropics and in the southern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific. They are represented in our waters by eight genera, which may be distinguished in the following manner:—

I. Caudal fin truncated or notched.

1. Gadus. Three dorsal and two anal fins.

2. Merluccius, hake. Two dorsal fins, the front one short, the hind one long; a single, long anal fin.

II. Caudal fin rounded.

A. Two dorsal fins, the front one short but well developed, the hind one long; a single, long anal fin.

3. Molva, ling. Ventral fins with several rays; dorsal and anal not quite reaching the caudal; enlarged teeth in the lower jaw.

4. Lota, burbot. Ventral fins with several rays; dorsal and anal fins reaching the caudal; teeth all small.

5. Phycis, fork-beard. Ventral fin reduced to a bifid filament.

B. Two dorsal fins, the front one rudimentary; a single, long anal fin.

6. Raniceps, tadpole fish. No nasal barbels.

7. Onus (Motella), rocklings. Nasal barbels.

C. A single dorsal and a single anal fin, both very long.

8. Brosmius, tusk or torsk.

The burbot is our only fresh-water representative of the Gadidæ.

Only the first genus, of which the cod is the type, need occupy us here as containing two fishes, the coal-fish and the pollack, which afford sport to anglers. It is represented on our coasts by eight species, some of which are sufficiently nearly allied to offer some difficulties in their determination. These difficulties will, we think, disappear if use be made of the following synopsis or key which we have drawn up for their easy identification.

I. Base of first anal fin not or but slightly longer than that of the second dorsal fin; upper jaw projecting more or less beyond the lower.

1. G. morrhua, cod. Mental barbel at least half as long as the eye; first anal fin with 17 to 20 rays; lateral line whitish.

2. G. œglefinus, haddock. Mental barbel very short; first anal fin with 22 to 25 rays; lateral line dark.

3. G. minutus, power or poor cod. Mental barbel as long as or a little shorter than the eye; anal fin with 25 to 29 rays.

II. Base of first anal fin considerably longer than that of the second dorsal.

A. Upper jaw projecting a little beyond the lower; a dark spot at the root of the pectoral fin.

4. G. merlangus, whiting. No barbel; no dark bars.

5. G. luscus, bib or pout. A mental barbel, nearly as long as the eye; body deep, with more or less distinct dark bars.

B. Lower jaw projecting more or less beyond the upper; usually a dark spot in the axil of the pectoral fin.

6. G. virens, coal-fish. A small mental barbel, sometimes rudimentary; vent below the posterior half of the first dorsal fin.

7. G. pollachius, pollack. No barbel; lower jaw strongly projecting; vent below the anterior half of the first dorsal fin.

8. G. poutassou, poutassou. No barbel; second dorsal fin not longer than the first; vent before the vertical of the first dorsal fin.

THE COAL-FISH (Gadus virens).—Also called green cod, black pollack, saith, and sillock. The three dorsal fins are low, the second the longest at the base, but shorter than the first anal fin. The lower jaw projects a little beyond the upper in the adult, scarcely at all in the very young, and is provided with a very small mental barbel, which may be so reduced as to be easily overlooked. The vent is situated vertically below the posterior half of the first dorsal fin. The upper parts vary from dark grey or olive to blackish, shading off into silvery white towards the belly; the lateral line is whitish; usually a dark spot in the axil of the pectoral fin, not visible when the fin is folded. Old specimens are darker than the young.

This fish grows to a large size; specimens a little over 3 1/2 feet are on record, but the usual length is between 2 and 3 feet.

The range of the coal-fish is a very wide one, and nearly coincides with that of the cod, although of a somewhat more southern character, as it extends to both east and west coasts of the North Atlantic, and it is occasionally found in the Mediterranean. It is especially common in the north, though rarely entering the Baltic; it becomes rare south of the English Channel. Its limits of distribution appear to be between 46° and 80° lat. in the Western Atlantic, between 40° and 70° in the Eastern Atlantic. It descends to a depth of 70 fathoms.

The breeding season with us is said to begin in January, and to continue through February, March, and April; according to Brook, the spawning on the coast of Scotland may even begin in December. On the coast of Massachusetts the spawning period has been ascertained to be in November and December. Unlike the cod and the haddock, the coal-fish is, to a great extent, a surface-swimming fish, congregating together in large schools, and moving from place to place in search of food; large specimens, however, prefer deep water, and rarely fall a prey to the sportsman.

THE POLLACK (Gadus pollachius).—This fish, which grows to a length of three feet, is recognisable among the species with the base of the anal fin considerably longer than that of the second dorsal, by its very prominent lower jaw, the chin, which is deprived of a barbel, extending forward a good deal beyond the end of the snout, and by the position of the vent, which, owing to the somewhat longer first anal fin, is situated vertically below the anterior half of the first dorsal fin, instead of being below its posterior half, as in the coal-fish. The eye is also larger in proportion than in the latter species. The colour is brown or olive above, the lateral line darker, yellowish, or golden below, often with a dark spot superiorly in the axil of the pectoral fin.

The pollack, or lythe, occurs on the coasts of Europe, as far south as the western parts of the Mediterranean. It is extremely common on our rocky coasts. It is, for a considerable period of its existence, a surface fish, and is usually found not far from land, chasing schools of young cod and herrings; but full-grown examples frequent the deeper waters offshore. The breeding season, on the British coasts, lasts from December till May, taking place earlier in the north than in the south.

A very full account of the external and osteological characters of the coal-fish and pollack, compared with the cod, will be found in a paper by Dr. H. C. Williamson, published in Part III. of the Twentieth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 1902, pp. 228–287, pls. iv.–xi.

THE SEA-BASS AND SEA-PERCH (Serranidœ)

This family, one of the largest of the class Pisces, and formed almost exclusively of marine species, is very nearly related to the true perches; the characters on which they have been separated from them are mainly osteological and need not be explained in a work of this kind. Suffice it to say that the eyeball is supported, in the Serranidœ, by a bony process of the second suborbital bone, called a subocular shelf, of which there is no trace in the true perches, a character which can be readily ascertained on any specimen, even without dissection, when once understood. The black bass of the fresh-waters of America noticed above, which bear no special affinity to our sea-bass, are more nearly related to the fresh-water perches, and, like them, lack the subocular shelf.

The Serranidae are typical Acanthopterygians with the air-bladder, when present, as is usually the case, closed, with the anterior portion of the dorsal fin formed of pungent spines, and with the ventral fins inserted below the pectorals and composed of 1 spine and 5 soft, branched rays. Some of the bones of the head, as the preorbital and the elements of the gill-cover, are also frequently serrate or armed with more or less strong spines.

In the sea-bass of our coasts and estuaries (Morone labrax, often called Labrax lupus), the dorsal fin is divided into two distinct parts, the anterior formed of 8 to 10 spines, the posterior of 1 spine