Tautog

Tautoga onitis

The tautog has a stout, rounded body that varies in color from speckled brown, green, gray or black. Adults have:

• A thick tail and a squared tail fin.
• A blunt head with greenish eyes, thick lips and strong teeth.
• Some larger males have a white chin, while females' and smaller males' chins are black.
• U sually grow to about 12 inches long.

Where does the tautog live?

Tautogs are year-round residents of the Bay.

• They are locally abundant in the lower Bay and near the Bay's mouth from autumn to spring, but can range as far north as the Chester River during the winter.
• Enter the Bay when water temperatures drop to about 40 degrees.
• During the summer (and perhaps also in January and February) there is a population shift to colder offshore locations.
• Often found around reefs, wrecks, rocks and pilings.

What does the tautog eat?

Tautogs use their powerful teeth to crush their prey, which includes:

• Clams
• Mussels
• Barnacles
• Crabs

How does the tautog reproduce?

Tautogs spawn from late April to early August in the lower Bay and offshore.

• The female lays about 200,000 eggs.
• After hatching, the young, bright green tautogs drift in the Bay for about three weeks before finding a home among shallow grass beds.
• In about three to four years tautogs become sexually mature and lose their bright green coloring.

Other facts about the tautog:

• Only feeds during the day. When they are not feeding, tautogs are known to find a hole and lie motionless on their side. It is so inactive at night that sport divers have been able to catch this fish by hand.
• Known as the "blackfish" in northern bays, where it is much more abundant.
• A long-lived, slow-growing species; can live up to 34 years.
• The Maryland Chesapeake Bay record tautog, which was caught in October 2005 off Point Lookout, was 25 inches long and weighed 9 pounds.