Looking for wild caught H. Erectus from New England

[ackee]

Buzzards Bay and adjacent waters are an area strongly affected by the Gulf Stream, which tends to push water toward Rhode Island, creating longshore currents that terminate exactly there. A map will illustrate the reasons for this phenomenon. The Stream almost collides with Conn. and R.I., and currents it creates run north along the coast until they are absorbed into Buzzards Bay. The result is that Buzzards Bay, which is really the inside of the Cape Cod curve, and the islands of Martha's Vinyard and Nantucket receive numerous Gulf stream strays, even into the winter. There is a program on Cape Cod that devotes itself to checking the beaches in late September into October every morning to rescue stranded sea turtles, mostly Ridleys, which wash up in large numbers onto Cape beaches, shocked by the suddenly cold water. These turtles have ridden the stream, as do many, many tropicals and semi-tropical fishes. The only Caribbean Blue Tang I have ever seen north of the Carolinas was in a jetty on Marthas Vinyard.

You may find seahorses in Buzzards Bay, though it will not be easy, and they very possibly may have been carried there by currents created by the Gulf Stream.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

You may find seahorses in Buzzards Bay, though it will not be easy, and they very possibly may have been carried there by currents created by the Gulf Stream.

Do you think I would have better luck finding a wintered over specimen on the other side of the cape than?

I know this may not be the case but ideally I want to find specimens that show physical differences from that of H. Erectus found further south. This is why my search area will be at the northern most known ranges.

I don't want to take this thread to far off coarse from H. Erectus, but what pipefish species are people finding along side or in the same areas as seahorses this far north?

 

[ackee]

The only Pipefish I am familiar with from this area is the Northern Pipefish, Syngnathus fuscus.

The H. erectus found in NJ and all points north seem to me to be identical, generally regarded as the northern form of the species. Compared to the southern form, it does look and, especially, act differenly, being a more aggressive hunter, a better swimmer and more active. I've seen them crawling slowly forward in a strong inlet cuuent in 30 feet of water, flat to the mussel bed substrate, inching forward by careful placement of the tail against a current that I find difficult. Very impressive. They will pursue and hunt down prey, and very seldom employ the ambush hunting more typical of the same species I've watched in Tampa Bay. The northern form is also generally smaller, and stays that way, never in my experience reaching the gigantic proportions of their Florida cousins. I've kept northern erectus as long as 4 years, and while they got large, they never reached Floridian proportions, despite being active and well fed all year long.

The several dozen erectus I've seen up close in New England seem to be the same fish as the NJ erectus I'm extremely familiar with, having seen many, certainly several thousand, over the past 40+ years. I grew up on the water and was exploring the bay with kiddie goggles when Eisenhower was president and there were only about ten elements on the Periodic Table. OK, maybe a few more.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

The only Pipefish I am familiar with from this area is the Northern Pipefish, Syngnathus fuscus.

If you find any in the next couple months let me know

The H. erectus found in NJ and all points north seem to me to be identical, generally regarded as the northern form of the species. Compared to the southern form, it does look and, especially, act differenly, being a more aggressive hunter, a better swimmer and more active. I've seen them crawling slowly forward in a strong inlet cuuent in 30 feet of water, flat to the mussel bed substrate, inching forward by careful placement of the tail against a current that I find difficult. Very impressive. They will pursue and hunt down prey, and very seldom employ the ambush hunting more typical of the same species I've watched in Tampa Bay. The northern form is also generally smaller, and stays that way, never in my experience reaching the gigantic proportions of their Florida cousins. I've kept northern erectus as long as 4 years, and while they got large, they never reached Floridian proportions, despite being active and well fed all year long.

The several dozen erectus I've seen up close in New England seem to be the same fish as the NJ erectus I'm extremely familiar with, having seen many, certainly several thousand, over the past 40+ years. I grew up on the water and was exploring the bay with kiddie goggles when Eisenhower was president and there were only about ten elements on the Periodic Table. OK, maybe a few more.

Do you ever do any collecting out there? I would love to work out some kind of east coast/west coast trade

 

[ackee]

I do a lot of collecting, A.E., here in NJ, and in the tropics. I seldom travel anywhere near the ocean without my handmade vinyl collecting nets. It's something I've been doing for so long it's ingrained, almost a compulsion.

I enjoy collecting at least as much as keeping aquaria. I'm semi-retired now, so I travel often. When on warm water holiday I usually have a makeshift box bag aquarium in my room. I have a kit consisting of voltage converters, box bags, mini air pumps, etc. that travels with me. I've had interesting experiences with the TSA, but that's another topic.

I usually release what I collect. The last fish I brought home was the Spotted Drum in my personal profile pics. That was more than 2 years ago. The fish is doing extremely well, a magnificent creature seldom seen in the pet business.

I'll be in the Caribbean again in three weeks. There are a couple of interesting inverts I might bring home, but thats it. I sometimes collect things in NJ for friends, and for public aquariums with which I've had long standing connections, but I do so less and less. I've kept fish alive and healthy for long periods, only to see them killed by bad management.

I had a lovely Short Bigeye for almost 2 years that I recently donated to a public aquarium when it got very large. Their quarantine protocol killed it. They used medications which damage that delicate eye. The fish was absolutely, glowingly healthy. I was furious. Many of these professionals can be stupidly rigid. They keep great records documenting the things they kill.

Many of the tropical Gulf Stream strays I collect locally will die anyway when water temps drop, but it's disturbing nonetheless to see them killed by people who view them as nothing more than ornaments, as objects. I feel deeply responsible for any creature I have in my care, but especially so for those I personally remove from nature.

Pipe fish are extremely easy to collect. Their numbers are diminishing as pollution and human activity destroy the eel grass beds, but they are still around. The local Northern Pipefish are not easy to maintain long term, though. Mostly a diet issue, I suspect. Water temps need to be fairly cool, so I think a chiller is probably a good idea.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

I had a lovely Short Bigeye for almost 2 years that I recently donated to a public aquarium when it got very large. Their quarantine protocol killed it. They used medications which damage that delicate eye. The fish was absolutely, glowingly healthy. I was furious. Many of these professionals can be stupidly rigid. They keep great records documenting the things they kill.

I know what you mean, I've been getting a lot of "input" about the animals I have in my home system that I've collected. Its all sound in facts, but short on practicality and personal experience.

Many of the tropical Gulf Stream strays I collect locally will die anyway when water temps drop, but it's disturbing nonetheless to see them killed by people who view them as nothing more than ornaments, as objects. I feel deeply responsible for any creature I have in my care, but especially so for those I personally remove from nature.

I do too, I've chosen to leave the vast majority of the pipe fish I have caught in the wild. I tried a pair of them in my main display tank and there was just too much flow, and too many things that would take advantage of them as a food source. That's why I opted to set up a completely seperate tank and mimic their native biotope to keep them.

Pipe fish are extremely easy to collect. Their numbers are diminishing as pollution and human activity destroy the eel grass beds, but they are still around. The local Northern Pipefish are not easy to maintain long term, though. Mostly a diet issue, I suspect. Water temps need to be fairly cool, so I think a chiller is probably a good idea.

They should be right at home in the sytem I am setting up for my native pipefish. All seagrass, minimal flow with calmer areas around the foam rock work, all sand bottom, coast to coast overflow to slow the surface movement a bit. It has a 1/10 horse chiller on a 1" thick acrylic tank, and a DIY'd mini fridge auto feeder to dose live tigriopus, Mysis feast, and some other food.

 

[CMS!]

In the summer time down at the Jersey shore we take out the Seine nets into the bays and find all type of creatures like pipe fish, baby flounders, and snapper blues. I have yet to catch a seahorse in the nets, but I have seen them off the jetty while fishing.

 

[WallysWorld]

Here's some pics of my Northerns. The Male in the pic is wild caught over a year ago. The small female is his daughter born and raised in my home ;-) she's a beauty!

Here she is by herself.

 

[ackee]

Beautiful fish, Wally. Perfect examples of the H. erectus found up here in the North East. When I started collecting them long ago they were H. hudsonius, reflecting the type locality.

The last sea turtle I came across in Barnegat Bay was a Green yearling about the same size as the turtle you are holding. We see them fairly often in and around Barnegat Inlet, and have seined up a few. I caught (and immediatley released) the yearling Green while diving under a yacht basin fueling dock very close to Barnegat Light two summers ago. Amazingly solid, and so strong for their size.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

Here's some pics of my Northerns. The Male in the pic is wild caught over a year ago. The small female is his daughter born and raised in my home ;-) she's a beauty!

Those are gorgeous!! Do you see many color morphs in the wild ones?

 

[mtc1966]

you can really see the snout size difference in them. nice pics

 

[WallysWorld]

Beautiful fish, Wally. Perfect examples of the H. erectus found up here in the North East. When I started collecting them long ago they were H. hudsonius, reflecting the type locality.

The last sea turtle I came across in Barnegat Bay was a Green yearling about the same size as the turtle you are holding. We see them fairly often in and around Barnegat Inlet, and have seined up a few. I caught (and immediatley released) the yearling Green while diving under a yacht basin fueling dock very close to Barnegat Light two summers ago. Amazingly solid, and so strong for their size.

Thanks. Yes those little sea turtles are strong as can be. I had to pick him up cause he was caught in the net. He took off like a tuna swimming so fast!

Those are gorgeous!! Do you see many color morphs in the wild ones?

They do change colors based on their mood other than that I see some dark and some are lighter. Although one of the fry I have looks like an albino? Very white all the time and growing nicely, I guess we will see...

 

[oflaherty21]

this has been a interesting topic to read, there has been alot of good info