Tautog
Tautoga onitis "Blackfish, black porgy, chub, oyster fish, slippery bass & Chinner "


Description: The older fish and males are mostly mottled with olive green, black or dark brown. The young fish and females are lighter in color mottled with a creamy brown and gray sides. The older the fish gets the darker the fish gets and the coloring also is affected by their habitat bottom. The adult male tautog has a large protruding forehead. The white patch on their chin is the reason the mature males are nicknamed "chinners". They have thick rubbery lips. The backs of their throats contain a set of teeth resembling molars that are used for crushing their prey. Their rubbery skin protects them from any sharp rocky environment while swimming. These fish have no scales on their cheeks or gill flaps.

Similar Fish:Tautog are often mistaken for black sea bass.

Where Found:East of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Canada to South Carolina USA; most abundant between Cape Cod and Delaware Bay. Tautog are found lurking near pilings and pier docks, rocky shores, breakwaters and mussel beds. The young fish can be seen near eelgrass, sea lettuce and seaweed beds on rocky and stone bottoms.
Tautog frequently follow flood tides inshore to feed and drop back to deeper waters with the following ebb tides. Tautog prefer waters less than 50 ft. deep.

Size:Tautog grow up to 22 inches in length

World Record:The largest Tautog was caught off Wachapreague, Virginia in 1987 that weighed 24 pounds by Gregory R. Bell.
Bait used:Tautog are caught locally by using bait such as green crabs and sand-fleas.
Tactics to catch: Tautog will grab the bait and seek refuge, so a stout rod is recommended with a 17 to 30 lb. test line with a two hook rig, "no hardware", and sinker tied to the bottom. It is a real challenge to set the hook and get the fish out of shelter before you loose you rig to entanglement in the fish's habitat.

Keep the fish cold after you catch it to prevent flavor loss.

Climate (water temperature range): The fish settle into private shelters such as crevices, rock walls and under rocks where the temperatures reach between 8 & 5 degrees C and remain there until spring when the water temperatures increase.

Spawning habits: Tautog in this area occur from April to early August in the lower bay and offshore. Both sexes mature at 3-4 years of age. A female 12 inches long and weighing one pound will produce about 30,000 eggs, while a female 20 inches long and weighing five pounds will produce approximately 196,000 eggs per season. In the spring when water temperatures are around 48 degrees F, the adult Tautog begin to migrate inshore, usually in pairs to spawn. Their courtship consists of nuzzling and rubbing each others flanks, possibly lasting several hours, then they move very quickly upward to release their sperm and eggs near the surface. They spawn in water temperatures of 62 to 70 degrees. The eggs hatch in about two days and and they begin to develop into juveniles, while drifting and then they begin to settle to the bottom in the deepest part of the water.

Table food?Tautog has been chosen as a great chowder fish. It is also a great fish to bake or broil, as the flesh is firm and has a mild flavor. It can be cooked using recipes that you would also use for stripers.

Feeding habits: Tautog diets consits of mainly mussels, gastropods, crabs, mollusks, sand shrimp, amphipods, barnacles, sand-dollars and worms. They have strong molars that they use to crush hard shells. They group together under rock holes, pilings, submerged wrecks and ledges for safety. Tautog are often found resting by lying on their sides. The young fish remain in the area they were hatched and eat invertebrates found in the eelgrass beds. Tautog are exclusively daytime feeders peaking at dawn and dusk.

Remarks: To avoid over-fishing there are size limit restrictions. due to the fact that Tautog are slow to reach sexual maturity and it is difficult to rebound. Tautog are territorial fish. Tautog can live 30 years or longer. They are slow-growing fish. The skin of the Tautog is often used as a slingshot material and is superior to surgical rubber.



References:
usm main education
wikipedia
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Taxonomy-fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/macsis/lists/M010505.htm