A See-Through Fish Swims in Local Waters

So far this summer, the seining has been pretty good around local waters in Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay. Along with the usual suspects, such as Bay Anchovies,  Hermit Crabs, Sand Shrimp, and Snapper Blues, there have been some fun  finds. Puffer Fish, Northern Stargazers, Crevalle Jacks, Lookdowns and plenty Lady Crabs have all found their way inside a seine net.

One critter that is sure to be a crowd pleaser is a pale skinny flatfish with a quirky name called a Windowpane. A beautiful looking fish that often gets overlooked by many people.

At first glance you might think you have a Summer Flounder or Fluke in your net with its large mouth and eyes located on the left side of its head when viewed from above. But take a closer look and you will see some key features that make this fish unique.

The body is compressed and deep, not stretched out like a fluke. A Windowpane is round in shape, while other flatfish are more egg-shaped. Moreover, the mouth of the Windowpane is toothless and opens wide, unlike a Fluke that has razor sharp teeth.

If you look at the fish from side to side, you will notice another characteristic feature. Windowpanes are nearly translucent. They have very slender bodies, so thin that if you hold the fish’s body up to a light source, you will see its bones. You can nearly see right through the fish like a window. Hence the name.

But don’t be fooled by its skinny body and toothless mouth, these fish are built to be hungry predators. Similar to other flatfish, Windowpanes are excellent at catching a fishy meal underwater.

They will spend most of their lives on the sandy and muddy bottoms of the bay. They will move smoothly along to find the perfect place to ambush prey. Once a good even surface has been found, Windowpanes will use their ability to camouflage their pattern on the eyed side of their bodies while at the same time partially burrowing in the sediment to blend in totally into their surroundings. Now you see them, now you don’t. Then they will take advantage of their flat bodies to have both eyes peering out in search for a tasty meal.

Once a small fish, tiny crab, shrimp, or a sea worm is spotted, a Windowpane races forward to ambush its prey, quickly snapping up whatever wanders nearby and swallowing it whole. They especially love shrimp and juvenile fish, particularly little Bay Anchovies.

Unlike Summer Flounder or Winter Flounder that only call our local water homes during different seasons, Windowpanes do not appear to undergo seasonal migrations. This fish is truly a New York Harbor loving creature.

Fish biologists, Ken Able and Michael Fahay suggest in their book, Ecology of Estuarine Fishes, that spawning occurs from spring to autumn in high salinity waters in either Sandy Hook Bay or out in the nearby New York - New Jersey Bight. Spawning begins at about age two when the fish are approximately 12 inches in length. Eggs will hatch in about eight days. The tiny larvae will then drift with tides and currents to slowly enter shallow coastal nursery areas. Larvae will begin to settle to the bottom of the bay to feed and mature.

Certainly the most amazing aspect of any flatfish is the way they will transform their bodies when young. Once hatched, larvae Windowpanes and other flounders will more closely resemble the larvae of other fishes than adult flounder, with body symmetry and eyes on both sides of their head. But as these fish get older, their bodies will change  and their eyes will gradually migrate to the side of their head while their body will take on a flattened appearance and become truly a flatfish. Unquestionably, these are amazing sea creatures. Few other fish or other animals with backbones for that matter will  undergo such a huge metamorphosis to become an adult.

Although some flatfish are important commercially and are very tasty, including Fluke or Summer Flounder, Winter Flounder,  and Yellowtail Flounder, and others have odd whimsical names like Hogchokers. For me, the slender left-eyed Windowpane is a favorite. Finding one is easy, because they are usually one of the most abundant flounders in the bay. The fish will always keep you smiling during the summer months with a few good fishy pictures to show your family and friends.

For more information, pictures and year-round sightings of wildlife in or near Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay, and Lower New York Bay, please check out my blog entitled, Nature on the Edge of New York City at http://natureontheedgenyc.blogspot.com/