Editing Tautog

{{Short description|Species of wrasse (fish)}}
{{For|naval ships using this name|USS Tautog}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Tautog (Tautoga onitis), United States imported from iNaturalist photo 442131359.jpg
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Choat, J.H. |author2=Pollard, D. |date=2010 |title=''Tautoga onitis'' |volume=2010 |page=e.T187479A8547027 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187479A8547027.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| parent_authority = [[Samuel Latham Mitchill|Mitchill]], 1814
| taxon = Tautoga onitis
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
| synonyms = Genus:
* ''Hiatula'' <small>Lacépède, 1800</small> (preoccupied in [[Hiatula|Mollusca]])
Species:
* ''Labrus onitis'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
* ''Labrus carolinus'' <small>Bonnaterre, 1788</small>
* ''Sparus anonymus'' <small>Walbaum (ex Schöpf), 1792</small>
* ''Labrus americanus'' <small>Bloch & Schneider, 1801</small>
* ''Tautoga niger'' <small>Mitchill, 1814</small>
}}

The '''tautog''' ('''''Tautoga onitis'''''), also known as the '''blackfish''', is a species of [[wrasse]] native to the western Atlantic Ocean from [[Nova Scotia]] to [[South Carolina]]. This species inhabits hard substrate habitats in inshore waters at depths from {{convert|1|to|75|m|ft|round=5|abbr=on}}. It is currently the only known member of its [[genus]].<ref>{{FishBase |genus= Tautoga|species= onitis| month = October | year = 2013}}</ref>

Barlett (1848) wrote, "[Tautaug] is a Native American word, and may be found in [[Roger Williams]]' ''Key to the Indian Language''." The name is from the [[Narragansett (tribe)|Narragansett]] language, originally ''tautauog'' (pl. of ''taut''). It is also called a "black porgy" (''cf.'' [[Japanese black porgy]]), "chub" (''cf.'' the freshwater [[chub]]), "oyster-fish" (in North Carolina) or "blackfish" (in New York/New Jersey, New England).

==Description==
[[File:Tautoga onitis 317997128.jpg|left|thumb|Small individual]]
Tautog are brown and dark olive, with white blotches, and have plump, elongated bodies. They have a typical weight of {{convert|1|to|3|lb|kg|round=0.5|order=flip||abbr=on}} and reach a maximum length and weight of {{convert|3|ft|cm|-1|order=flip|abbr=on}} and {{convert|13.1|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}, respectively.

Tautog have many adaptations to life in and around rocky areas. They have thick, rubbery lips and powerful jaws. The backs of their throats contain a set of teeth resembling molars. Together, these are used to pick and crush prey such as [[mollusk]]s and [[crustacean]]s. Their skin also has a rubbery quality with a heavy slime covering, which helps to protect them when swimming among rocks.<ref>McClane, A.J., ''McClane's Field Guide to Saltwater Fishes of North America'', 1978, {{ISBN|0-8050-0733-4}}
</ref>

==Life cycle==
[[File:Tautoga onitis (S1091) (28157887285).jpg|left|thumb|Juvenile]]
Spawning occurs offshore, in late spring to early summer. The eggs hatch and develop while drifting. All of the young take residence in shallow, protected waters and live and hide in [[seaweed]], [[sea lettuce]], or [[Zostera|eelgrass]] beds for protection, and are green in color to camouflage themselves. During the late fall, they move offshore and winter in a state of reduced activity.

==Cuisine==

Goode (1884) said, "The tautog has always been a favorite table fish, especially in New York, its flesh being white, dry, and of a delicate flavor."<ref>G. Brown Goode, et al., ''The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States'', 1884-7, quoted in Davidson, 1979.</ref>

Davidson recommends grilling, baking, and using it in fish [[chowder]].<ref>Alan Davidson, ''North Atlantic Seafood'', 1979, {{ISBN|0-670-51524-8}}.</ref>

==Sports fishing==
[[File:Tautoga onitis 327926636.jpg|left|thumb|Closeup]]
[[File:Tautoga americana (Massachusetts Bay, June 1860).jpg|alt=An 1860 watercolor painting of a tautog from Massachusetts Bay by Jacques Burkhardt|thumb|An 1860 watercolor painting of a tautog from the [[Massachusetts Bay]] by Jacques Burkhardt]]
[[File:FMIB 51490 Tautog Tautoga omitis.jpeg|thumb|1907 illustration]]
Popular among fishermen, tautog have a reputation for being a particularly tricky fish to catch. Part of this is because of their tendency to live among rocks and other structures that can cause a fisherman's line to get snagged. The favorite baits for tautog include [[Carcinus maenas|green crabs]], [[Hemigrapsus sanguineus|Asian shore crabs]], [[fiddler crab]]s, [[clam]]s, [[shrimp]], [[mussel]]s, [[Arenicola marina|sandworms]], and [[lobster]]s. Tautog fishing may also be difficult due to the tendency of fishermen to try to set the hook as soon as they feel a hit, rather than waiting for the tautog to swallow the bait. Rigs with minimal beads, swivels, and hooks should be used to prevent entanglement with the rocks, reefs, or wrecks that tautog frequent.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}}

Because they are found in wrecks, they are often seen by scuba divers. They are also popular with [[spearfishing|spearfishermen]].{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

==Management==
Slow reproduction and growth make tautog more vulnerable to [[overfishing]]. The species is managed by focusing on reducing fishing mortality rates, as well as restrictions on gear, size limits, possession limits, and limited fishing seasons. At present, the [[Blue Ocean Institute]] recommends that consumers avoid eating this fish because the populations are at low levels that are not considered sustainable.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tautog|url=http://blueocean.org/seafoods/tautog/|work=Seafood Choices|publisher=Blue Ocean Institute|access-date=8 October 2013}}</ref>

Around 1920, 750 tons were harvested annually off the New England coast.<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Tautog|year=1920}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Blackfish]]
*[[Cunner]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{cite journal |author=Dixon, M. S. |title=The Use of SCUBA and Punctuated Transects to Count a Temperate Reef Fish |journal=In: Maney, E. J. Jr. & Ellis, C. H. Jr. (Eds.) the Diving for Science...1997 |publisher=Proceedings of the [[American Academy of Underwater Sciences]] (AAUS) |volume=Seventeenth annual Scientific Diving Symposium |location=Northeastern University, Boston, MA |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4638 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415172619/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4638 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |access-date=2009-02-20 }}
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Tautog|year=1905 |short=x}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2299834}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Labridae]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]