Can anyone I.D. this Atlantic saltwater fish?

We call them Scullpin's. Or maybe Skullpin's. I think the first is right. Be careful of the spines, they will cause you pain. I have seen people eat them, the Greeks that came up here to paint the 1000 ft. towers at Cutler naval station. They would eat anything. no kidding.

Kevin

An old cap'n in the Long Island Sound used to give them a sharp "thwack" with the billy club and throw them over,
whilst saying "lobster food"...

I didn't know 'till recently that there was some (human) food value to them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMh1hcIcEw

The bottom feeder pictured looks a tad different from the Sea Robins I know around the NY area..And maybe this one is a
Sculpin...


Bob

That's an Oyster Cracker for sure. I caught a few in the past and many more Sea Robins. There is a difference.
I caught them off the South Jersey coast while wreck fishing in the springtime.

Did you catch any Tautog? Tog are the hardest fighting fish one can catch along the coast in the wrecks or rocks. Lots of fun.

All we caught was cod & sculpin -- that was it. We stayed in one area & didn't really fish all that long (maybe 2 hrs.). We wasted alot of time messin' around with the dolphins & checking out the whales -- plus the motor isn't broken in yet, so we were going no faster than 27 MPH at any given time. Probably averaged 22 mph, so alot of time was spent getting there (we launched in the canal 20+ miles sw) & getting back.


This one here looks like a close relative.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBviZd5RIts&NR=1


Here's a good map of the area:

I think they call that a mother-in-law fish. Last time out my son caught one and the mate said it was a mother-in-law fish. He laughed like hell when I said it was too pretty to be mine. Scott

stokerscot wrote:I think they call that a mother-in-law fish. Last time out my son caught one and the mate said it was a mother-in-law fish. He laughed like hell when I said it was too pretty to be mine. Scott

I think the small base-ball bat is the proper method to dispatch those ugly ones.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_robin
They can be eaten!
There is a speed limit when the the whales are about on the MS.

The rule requires a 10knots seasonal speed limit through specific right whale habitats, including large portions of the Gulf of Maine as well as the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, east of Boston. While sailing, these racing boats often move at speeds of 25knots or faster, presenting a risk to whales, and to the racers, should a collision occur.

http://www.wdcs.org/news.php?select=365
It can be smoot as glass or a 'berry angry bitch!
Glad you got a shot at the best 'free show' in the world! Those tanks are way too small!

Thanks for the info!

We weren't going very fast to begin with, & once we saw all the activity, we just idled thru & watched the show.

I had no idea that I'd see anything like that out there -- let alone the numbers! Pretty amazing place!

Spring is great when all the food flows in the big fish follow.
From the local reports from the whale watching boats it has been an above average year for viewing!
A NOAA ship hit a whale, just nicked a fluke with a prop, and they get a pass while a local fisherman gets dragged into court for untangling a whale from his drag without the proper permits!
The Cape is a wonderful place to be! Just waiting for the neighbors to unwrap the boat for the season.

Cap wrote:That's an Oyster Cracker for sure. I caught a few in the past and many more Sea Robins. There is a difference.
I caught them off the South Jersey coast while wreck fishing in the springtime.

Did you catch any Tautog? Tog are the hardest fighting fish one can catch along the coast in the wrecks or rocks. Lots of fun.

Tautog are so much fun to catch!! get some green crabs and find a wreck and let the fun begin!!