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Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT: An investigation of the freshwater, anadromous, catadromous, and currently existing and long occurring introduced species that comprise the freshwater fish fauna of New Jersey indicates the occurrence of 86 species in 24 families. Containing the most species (20) is the carps and minnows) family, followed by the sunfish family (14 species), and the North American catfishes family (7 species); these throe families include 47.6% of the total species. Ten families contain only one species each. Included in the state fish fauna are: one native species (longnose gar) that has been extirpated from New Jersey waters; 19 species that are known to be not native and to have been introduced to New Jersey, of which three (goldfish, common carp, grass carp) are native to Asia and Eurasia and 16 to other areas of the eastern United States and adjacent Canada; and 66 species that are presumably native, although three (bowfin, eastern mosquitofish, warmouth) of these species are so listed tenuously because one or more of them might have occurred, or been introduced (as the first two of these three species are known to have been), or both. Some 21 of the 86 species are extensively coastal forms and occur to a large degree in the saltwater, brackish water, and freshwater tidal waters of the state. This group contains most of the commercially important species, and a number of these forms have suffered decreases in abundance from overexploitation and habitat destruction over the past three centuries.
Of the total of 86 species, two are native and riverine, of which one form (longnose gar) has now been extirpated in New Jersey, and the second fibrin (quillback) is poorly known in the state. At least two additional native species were apparently originally restricted to rivers in New Jersey, but they have been introduced elsewhere in the state. Nine other forms occur primarily in rivers and are also part of the coastal forms category mentioned above. Fourty-three species of native and introduced species are widely distributed in the state and found at many localities, although many of these species in southern New Jersey are restricted to drainages tributary to the Delaware River and/or Delaware Bay. Another 13 species occur statewide, but at relatively few localities compared to the 43 forms. Nine species are found only or primarily in northern New Jersey, in the Piedmont, Highlands and Ridge and Valley Provinces, but are common. Six species are found in northern New Jersey, but each form is represented by relatively few localities of occurrence, although some species are common at a particular locality. Three species are restricted, or largely so, to the southern half of New Jersey, in the Coastal Plain Province. One form is found only at very few, sites in southern New Jersey. Some five species of the total are now known from very few sites in New Jersey, and two of these species now occur at considerably fewer sites than formerly.
I list 49 species (and do not include two stocked, non-reproducing, ephemerally-occurring trout species) that occur in the Pinelands region of the state. Thirteen of these forms are known to be, or may be, introductions into this region, of which three species are now widespread and often common. Of the total of 49 forms, 10 occur on the margin of the Pinelands and are known from few localities; 15 species are restricted to the main rivers in the region; five additional forms are found mostly in rivers but also outside them; 16 species are widespread and often common in the Pinelands; and three species are recorded from a few scattered localities within the Pinelands. One species in the last category has decreased greatly in the Pinelands. Of the total of 49 species, only some 12 species are native and occur widespread in the acidic and dystrophic waters of the Pinelands interior.
KEY WORDS: New Jersey, freshwater fishes, fish distributions, anadromous fishes, catadromous fishes, introduced fishes, New Jersey Pinelands
INTRODUCTION
The number of species reported to comprise the freshwater fish fauna of New Jersey varies considerably. For example, a list prepared by the Bureau of Fisheries Laboratory at Lebanon, New Jersey, in 1974, contains 77 species in 18 families. Stiles (1978) identified 114 species in 27 families; Anonymous (1993) documented 116 species in 24 families; and Niles et al. (undated) and Anonymous (2004) registered 81 species in 21 families. Some of these differences are a result of intervening changes in the fauna, and some no doubt to diverse definitions of "freshwater" species. Some of these lists, however, contain numerous species, and some families, that have never been recorded near New Jersey. In this work, I have compiled a list of freshwater fish species with annotations and distribution figures for all native, extirpated, and introduced (from outside the United States or from other states) forms with currently existing and long occurring populations. There is no existing publication on New Jersey freshwater fishes that provides such a comprehensive treatment of their distributions. This paper is part of an ongoing effort to produce a larger and more detailed document on the highly dynamic freshwater fish fauna of New Jersey.
In compiling the list of freshwater species, I include those forms that spend all of their life in freshwater; one species that begins its life in saltwater and then lives for years in freshwater or brackish water before returning to the sea to reproduce (i.e., a catadromous species, specifically the American eel); species that reproduce in freshwater but then spend most of their life in brackish water or saltwater (i.e., anadromous and semi-anadromous fishes, e.g., many of the herrings, white perch, striped bass, rainbow smelt, and hogchoker); and those forms that are often considered to be estuarine or marine but have representatives that occur regularly and extensively in freshwater in New Jersey (e.g., the mummichog, inland silverside, three-spine stickleback, and four-spine stickleback). I do not include species that occur on a limited basis in freshwater on the edges of their largely brackish water and saltwater habitats (e.g., the bay anchovy and Atlantic silverside). No introduced freshwater species is included unless: (1) it is known to have reproducing populations in New Jersey (e.g., the smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and bluegill); or (2) it is not reproductive, or usually not reproductive, but is such a highly desirable species that it is introduced, typically by state biologists, so extensively as to maintain populations (e.g., the grass carp, northern pike, and walleye). Thus, I have not included rare marine fish waifs and those records of introduced or escaped non-native species which typically have been represented by only one or a few individuals, and which have no chance of long-term survival due to the lack of suitable habitats and water temperatures.
This paper gives a broad overview of the distribution and abundance of the New Jersey freshwater fishes. The format is designed primarily for those individuals who have considerable knowledge of these fishes because it would not be possible to give detailed descriptions of so many species. Thus, in order to help maintain focus on the overview, I use only common names in the text. The general reader will also be more familiar with these common names. The scientific names of the fish species can be found in Tables 1 and 2, in the species distribution figures, and in the references mentioned.
In regard to taxonomy, I avoid comment on name changes that have occurred recently (e.g., the use of the common name of cutlip, rather than of cutlips, minnow; the use of Sander instead of Stizostedion for the genus name of the walleye; the use of Atherinopsidae instead of Atherinidae for the family name of the inland silverside; and the use of Achiridae instead of Soleidae for the family name of the hogchoker). Similarly, I avoid consideration of the recent name changes of the mosquitofishes Gambusia affinis affinis and G. affinis holbrooki to G. affinis and G. holbrooki, respectively, the questions of whether or not G. holbrooki is native to New Jersey or was introduced long ago or both, of where and when G. affinis was introduced, and of possible hybridization between the two species. More research on Gambusia in New Jersey is needed.
I continue to add to the data base on New Jersey freshwater fishes and welcome comments and contributions from fishermen, scientists, and others who can expand our knowledge of this topic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data Sources
Preserved Specimens
Critically important data on New Jersey fish holdings were obtained from the following institutions listed in alphabetical order and with the name(s) of the collection curator(s) or manager(s) given in parentheses: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (W. Saul), American Museum of Natural History (S. Schaefer), Cornell University (J. P. Friel and C. M. Dardia), Harvard University (K. Hartel), National Museum of Natural History (J. T. Williams), North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences (W. Starnes and G. M. Hogue), and Tulane University (M. Doosey). J. Dighton, Rutgers University, Camden, contributed an extensive and extremely valuable collection of preserved New Jersey fishes and an accompanying typed catalogue prepared by former professor R. W. Hastings. L. Sarner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, contributed a collection of fishes from the Nacote Creek Field Research Station, Galloway Township, Atlantic County.
Unpublished Data
H. Carberry and L. Barno of the NJDEP, Freshwater Fisheries, kindly allowed access to a very extensive and highly useful computer database on the New Jersey freshwater fishes. D. Byrne, NJDEP, Marine Fisheries, very generously provided data from his years of sampling fishes in ocean waters along the New Jersey coast. B. Margolis and some of his colleagues shared their extensive data collected mostly in northern New Jersey in an Index of the Biological Diversity sampling program. J. Normant, NJDEP, Nacote Creek Field Station, Galloway Township, New Jersey, provided valuable fish data collected in his sampling program in Delaware Bay.
Field Sampling
I have made several hundred collections of freshwater fishes in New Jersey over the past 30 years, many with my Stockton College students in field exercises. Collections were made mostly in southeastern New Jersey, and less so in several tributaries of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey. In order to become familiar with more distant areas of the state, I collected data in the non-tidal portion of the Delaware River in recent years, in waters in the mountains and hills of northwestern New Jersey, and on the fringes of the northeastern New Jersey metropolitan area. I also surveyed fishermen and bait and tackle shop workers along portions of the Delaware River. Some sites were sampled specifically in my attempt to fill in gaps in distribution between known sites for a species. Additional data were obtained by accompanying the following biologists (listed alphabetically) during some of their field work: F. and J. Akers, D. Byrne, H. Carberry, S. Eisenhauer, and B. Margolis.
Literature Sources
Many data are derived from the published literature. Some relatively limited areas of the state have been sampled extensively, as follows: Smith (1971), Alloway and Stowe Creeks; Hastings and Good (1977), Woodbury Creek; Hastings (1979), Pinelands; Hastings (1984), Mullica River; Kraus et al. (1987) and Kraus and Bragin (1989, 1990), Hackensack River; Able and Fahy (1998), Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor and adjacent areas; Zampella et al. (2001), Mullica River Basin; and Zampella et al. (2003), Rancocas Creek Basin. Many data are derived from the "gray" literature. This literature is an eclectic collection, as I used any reference that contained information on fishes identified to species with collection locations precise enough to allow me to plot the data. Included in the literature sources are graduate degree theses, publications with localities of interest to fishermen, fish collection sites for studies of heavy metals, environmental impact studies, and data from conservation groups for certain protected areas. The list of references examined is extensive, and the data from these and other sources likely give an accurate picture of the distribution of the freshwater fishes of New Jersey. For brevity, locality citations by species are not provided.
Methods of Fish Collection
I made collections, often with students, mostly with 3 m x 1.2 m and 4.5 m x 1.2 m small mesh flat seines, sometimes with 6 m x 1.2 m or larger small mesh bag seines, and in the Mullica River and adjacent bay waters with a 4.9 m bottom trawl. I also obtained specimens, and valuable sight records, by snorkeling with an aquarium net in summer in the non-tidal Delaware River. Fishes reported in the literature were collected with a variety of equipment. Commonly used in small streams and shoreline habitats were seines of several sizes, backpack electroshockers, and dip nets. Away from shore habitats, commonly used equipment was 4.9 m and 2.7 m bottom trawls and boat electroshockers. In ocean habitats, large boats and large bottom trawls were used. Some records were also derived from fishes collected on the intake screens of electric generating stations.
Data Organization
Data in the tables are listed in phylogenetic sequence, that is, listed from the most "primitive" to the most "advanced." The sequence used, and the class, order, family, genus, species, and common names used herein are from Gilbert and Williams (2002). Names not given in this reference follow Page and Burr (1991). Author(s) of scientific names and the years of their publication are from Robins et al. (1991). The species accounts by individual authors in the compendium by Lee et al. (1980) and in the book by Page and Burr (1991) have been especially valuable in the preparation of this paper.
The annotated list for each species includes:
1. The general habitat(s) of the form (i.e., whether it is a freshwater, brackish water, or saltwater species, listed in the order of primary occurrence), and if it is catadromous or anadromous);
2. If the form is native to New Jersey or is introduced (introduced forms are also identified with an asterisk);
3. The New Jersey drainage(s) in which the species has been recorded (i.e., in waters that drain directly into the Atlantic and/or into the Delaware River and/or into the Delaware Bay);
4. If the form occurs in the Pinelands, which is a region of special interest because of its unusual habitats and species, with some forms common here and restricted elsewhere in New Jersey;
5. If it is an introduced species, the area to which it is native;
6. The relative abundance of the form in New Jersey (i.e., categorized as rare, occasional, common, or abundant, based on my personal observations and on data from other sources).
Locations of occurrence for landlocked anadromous species are depicted on the figures, but only the usual condition (e.g., whether it is an anadromous, brackish water, or a saltwater species) of the form is listed in the pertinent table.
My comments on the abundance of a species are subjective. Usually, "abundant" is indicated if a species occurs at many localities. However, a species with few known localities might occur in large numbers at one or more of these sites and, consequently, can also be considered "abundant." Subjectivity can be a result of a number of other factors. One of these factors is uneven sampling effort expended in some habitats or in some drainages. Another is that some species are secretive or otherwise difficult to sample, and the capture of small numbers may not reflect the actual numbers that occur. Some non-native species may be common or abundant at or near points of introduction, and less so in areas subsequently invaded. Some species are apparently numerous when they school, especially when they migrate, and thus may give the impression of generally occurring in abundance.
Other factors contribute to subjectivity in abundance estimates. Some commercially important species (e.g., the sturgeons and rainbow smelt) were abundant centuries or decades ago, based on data in the older literature, but are uncommon or rare today, although apparently slowly increasing in numbers. Further, the numbers of some species (e.g., the striped bass) in New Jersey and adjacent waters have fluctuated greatly, from being common, to rare, to abundant, all in the most recent few decades. Likewise, a number of species appear to be abundant at this point in time, but they are not nearly as abundant as the older literature seems to indicate. Abundance is also a function of the trophic level of a fish. For example, large piscivorous species are typically never as abundant as their smaller, faster-maturing and faster-growing prey fish species.
Distribution Figures
The species distribution figures show locations of recorded occurrence. A dot represents a locality at which any life history stage (e.g., juvenile, young, and adult) of a species has been found (i.e., not all the stages may occur at a given locality, although for the majority of species, they do). A dot may represent a locality at which a single specimen was captured or observed, or dozens of individuals, or even more, and made at one point in time or over time. Larger dots are used on some figures to clarify localities (e.g., those that lie on the irregular back bay Atlantic coast), and to render more conspicuous the localities when only a few exist for a species. The number of dots on a figure should ideally reflect all localities at which a species occurs. This is probably more likely for the larger species, notably the game species, which have been sampled by state biologists over many years, and consequently the number of localities is generally accurately known. It is much less likely for the non-game species, particularly the...
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