Ocean Pout

Zoarces americanus

Stout, eel-like body tapering to the tail. Broad head with a blunt snout and large mouth with fleshy lips. The upper jaw projects further than the lower. Long dorsal fin, almost the length of its back. Large rounded pectoral fins. Variable in colour may be grey, yellow or reddish-brown. It is usually mottled, and the dorsal side is darker than the ventral. Can be up to one metre long.

Authority

Bloch & Schneider, 1801

Classification Details

Phylum: Chordata (chordates); Subphylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates); Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes).

Habitat

Lives on the seabed, found from the intertidal zone to depths of over 183 metres. More common on rocky seabed than sand or mud. Migrates into shallower water in spring and out into deeper water in fall. Found in the western North Atlantic Ocean, from Labrador to Delaware.

Diet

Predator. Feed on a wide range of invertebrates. They scoop mouthfuls of sediment and extract food from this. Food includes worms, sea stars, molluscs, sea urchins, and sea squirts. Sand dollars are a major prey item.

Reproduction

Separate sexes. Fertilisation is internal. Spawning occurs in hard bottomed sheltered areas. The female ocean pout deposits her eggs in clumps. She may produce 1300-4200 eggs. She guards her eggs until they hatch 2-3 months later. The larvae are about three millimetres long when they hatch. Larvae stay on or near the seabed. Juveniles are mainly found in shallow, coastal waters around rocks with attached seaweed. Adults can live for 18 years.

Fun Facts

Scientists use the ocean pout in physiological studies, particularly relating to the heart and muscles.

Researchers have implanted genes from ocean pout into Atlantic Salmon. They used the promoter for the ocean pout’s antifreeze gene in conjunction with a growth hormone gene from chinook salmon. This leads to a higher concentration of growth hormone in the salmon’s blood. This makes the salmon grow more rapidly, ; they reach market size in about half the time of non-GMO salmon.

References

Martinez AJ (2019) Marine life north Atlantic. Digital application http://marinelifeofthenorthatlantic.com/ Accessed online 20 January 2020

Macdonald JS (1983) Laboratory observations of feeding behaviour of the ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus) and winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) with reference to niche overlap of natural populations. Canadian Journal of Zoology 61: 539-546.

Scott WB and Scott MG (1988) Atlantic fishes of Canada. Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 219, 731p.

Steimle FW, Morse WW, Berrien PL, Johnson DL and Zetlin CA (1991) Essential fish habitat source document: Ocean pout, Macrozoarces americanus, life history and habitat characteristics. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-129.

Waltz E (2017) First genetically engineered salmon sold in Canada. Nature 548, 148 Accessed from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-genetically-engineered-salmon-sold-in-canada/.