Top 5 Fascinating Marine Discoveries from Summer Seining Events on Sandy Hook

By Stella Mueller, American Littoral Society Education Program Intern ​

Throughout the summer, the American Littoral Society hosted four sunset seining and two daytime seining events on Sandy Hook. We reached over 80 individual participants and caught more than 20 different local species of marine life!

Following is a list of our top five favorite finds from this summer and some fun facts about them: 

1. Lookdown Fish (Selene vomer) 
Although the lookdown seems to resemble a tropical fish, it is native to the entire Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. They are most commonly found south of Delaware in slightly warmer waters, but it’s not unusual for us to have found a juvenile lookdown on the coast of Sandy Hook during the summer, when warmer waters reach our region. 

Their prime habitat is within estuaries, where saltwater and freshwater mix, as well as short depths along the shoreline. Juvenile lookdowns tend to have thin, vertical stripes that disappear with age. 

Lookdown fish get their name based on the fact that their eyes are located on either side of their narrow frame and appear to “look down” as they swim. ​

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Their bodies are extremely shiny due to a pigment that is released in the skin called Guanine. The pigment allows for light to be easily reflected off the surface of their skin, making them easy to identify.   ​

2. Striped Sea Robin (Prionotus evolans)
Found along shallow bottoms close to shore, this baby sea robin might be the most unique looking fish we’ve caught this summer! They are typically found along the entire East Coast but are rare north of Massachusetts. 

They have two dorsal fins (fins on their backs), with one having 10 spines to protect themselves against predators. 

Their species name evolans translates to “flying away,” as their pectoral fins give the false impression of wings. Their pectoral fins are used as a defense mechanism, as the large fins laid out flat give the fish an appearance of being bigger and more intimidating. They typically have three small fins that develop off of their pectoral fins which give them stability, allowing them to crawl along the ocean floor.

Fishermen find sea robins to be a nuisance because they are commonly caught without intention. Since they are found along the ocean floor, they are frequently snagged when fishermen are looking for other, more desirable catches, like fluke.

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3. Oyster Toadfish (Opsanus tau)
Oyster toadfish are brown, blotchy fish that have fleshy “whiskers” around their jaw and bulging eyes on the top of their head. Their mouths have rounded teeth, allowing them to feed on animals with hard outer shells. Toadfish are not picky eaters and will eat anything they find swimming along the shallow ocean floor. They are territorial and considered to be ambush predators, attacking their prey with surprise. 

In order to protect themselves from sharks (their main predator), their dorsal fin has spines along its rim that secrete venom. The venom is comparable to a bee sting, and luckily we didn’t get “stung” when handling the one we caught! Their camouflage also protects them, making it easy to hide among oyster reefs and along the sand. 

To attract a female mate, male oyster toadfish will make a nest and use a prominent call that mimics a foghorn. Once a female is attracted, they will lay their eggs for the male to fertilize and then abandon the nest, leaving the male to protect the eggs and take care of their young for about a month after birth. 

Toadfish are very hardy when it comes to their habitat. They are able to live in polluted and murky environments with ease, including the Hudson River in NY.  

4. Flat Clawed Hermit Crab (Pagurus pollicaris)
Flat clawed hermit crabs are commonly found along the East Coast ranging from Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico. A hermit crab with various common names, they usually do not get much larger than an inch in diameter. The one we caught was much larger than an inch, proving to be quite the unique find for our seining trip! 

A hermit crab’s diet involves algae and other marine plants, along with sometimes other hermit crabs. Hermit crabs are inedible for humans, and fish are considered to be their main habitual predators. 

​Hermit crabs will commonly use whelk shells as their protective outer shell. They have a soft abdomen that is not protected by an exoskeleton; therefore, they find an empty shell and “wear” it to protect this area of their body. 

Plenty of other mollusks or invertebrates will gather on the shells of hermit crabs, catching free rides and feeding on the mud and sand hermit crabs dig up. Slipper snails (Crepidula fornicata) are commonly found attached to hermit crab shells, and they will stay attached for their entire lives. The hermit crab that we caught can be seen with tiny slipper snails attached to it, meaning this particular hermit crab was a much older individual. ​

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5. Northern Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus)
Although these fish are abundant in our local waters, they always get a fascinating reaction from the public when we catch them in our seine net. They have long, thin bodies and a small fan tail that allows them to glide through the water with ease. 

Because of their shape, people often think pipefish are water snakes or eels. However, they are fish and are very closely related to seahorses! In addition to their features resembling a seahorse, male pipefish will carry their young in a pouch and protect them as they grow, just like male seahorses. 

Different from seahorses, a pipefishes' tail is straight rather than curled inward. Their tails have stayed straight for protection, as their long bodies are well camouflaged and mimic the surrounding seagrasses and other aquatic vegetation. On the other hand, seahorses developed a curled tail in order to attach to hard surfaces. 

Commonly found in estuaries and shallow waters, the northern pipefish is found along the entire East Coast. Their size usually does not exceed eight inches. Their mouths are thin and long, similar to the rest of their bodies. Their diet consists of small crustaceans, allowing their thin mouths to suck up prey like a vacuum.

Their body is surrounded by thin rows of bones, which is an easy method for identification. Another identifying trait is their fragile dorsal fin which they use for swimming on the top of their backs. They will frequently use this fin as their only mode of transportation, allowing their bodies to lay still and give the appearance of a floating twig or branch on the water’s surface.

Next summer, make sure to join us for our seining trips on Sandy Hook and get the opportunity to observe these amazing animals for yourself! ​