Gulf Stream Brings Tropical Fish to the East End

The Gulf Stream is a powerful “river” that flows northward along the east coast of Florida, turning northeast when it is off the coast of the Carolinas, and continues past Long Island and Cape Cod — roughly 100 miles offshore — before it heads out across the Atlantic Ocean. The warm tropical waters it transports have a major effect on the weather patterns of not only the Northeast, but Europe as well. To a “Fish Guy” such as myself, the Gulf Stream plays an even more important role. It carries a wide variety of tropical organisms to within easy reach of my fishing pole or collecting net.

These tropical visitors arrive in one of two ways: on their own power or completely at the mercy of the currents. Those that swim here on their own typically do so as adults, following the warm waters of the Gulf Stream as they search for food. The most common of these fish is the gray triggerfish. Arriving by early July, offshore anglers will encounter schools of triggerfish that are seeking shelter under various pieces of flotsam. As they move inshore, they will take up residence along buoy chains, jetties and wrecks.

Stingrays will also make their way to the Northeast under their own power, just as triggerfish. Cownose, bullnose, roughtail and butterfly rays can all be commonly encountered during the summer months. In recent years, I have observed huge schools of cownose rays swimming along area ocean beaches and in Shinnecock and Peconic Bays.

Some other exceptional tropical species that I have either personally encountered or received pictures of from reliable sources include multiple tarpons to 5 feet in length that were caught deep inside Peconic Bay, a 4-foot-long barracuda at Montauk Point, and a cubera snapper caught by a spearfisherman in Shinnecock Inlet. These fish, along with the rays and triggerfish, will leave our area when water temperatures begin to drop in the fall.

The second group of tropical visitors to the Northeast have no say in their journey. They too arrive on the Gulf Stream, but do not swim here on their own power. Rather, they are carried here by the currents. For many marine organisms, spawning consists of releasing eggs and sperm into the water and leaving it to chance that they will combine to create a fertilized egg. The fertilized egg will develop into a larva and will float at the mercy of the currents until it metamorphoses and settles as a juvenile. Depending on the species, this larval stage can last from a couple of weeks to several months. During this time, ocean currents have the potential to carry it great distances. Some of these larval organisms are swept northward by the Gulf Stream every summer.

Of all the larval drifters, the spotfin butterflyfish is by far one of the most abundant. What would be considered abundant? I have had days where pulling a 25-foot minnow seine for 50 yards in 4 feet of water yielded well over 100 dime- and quarter-sized butterflyfish. Although not as common as spotfins, foureye, banded and reef butterflyfish can also be in the mix. There are many other reef species that can be found in the dark waters of the Northeast. Angelfish (blue, French, gray), damselfish (bicolor, coco, beaugregory), surgeonfish (ocean surgeon, doctorfish, blue tang), filefish (planehead, orange, scrawled, dotterel, slender), groupers (gag, scamp, red, black, snowy), snapper (gray, mutton), goatfish (dwarf, red), cowfish, trunkfish, squirrelfish, short big eyes, glass eye snappers, blue-spotted cornetfish, peppermint shrimp, brown shrimp and shamefaced crabs, just to name a few.

Many tropical species that are highly sought after by anglers also go along for a ride on the Gulf Stream. Crevalle jacks, horse-eye jacks, yellow jacks, permit, pompano, African pompano, banded rudderfish, blue runner, moonfish and lookdowns can all be commonly found during the summer/fall months. Most of these fish are easily recognizable as adults, but as juveniles, identifying them can be quite difficult. A quarter-sized African pompano will have many long (8-to-10-inch) streamer dorsal and ventral fins. Adult crevalle jacks are normally silver in color, but when only a couple of inches in length they will be yellow with many small bars.

What happens to these drifters when our water temperatures begin to drop? Many of them simply succumb to the cold and die. While in their native range, those fish/invertebrates that have a strong connection to reefs (butterflyfish, surgeonfish, angelfish, etc.) will typically not migrate great distances from where they originally settle. As the local waters begin to chill, these fish do not have the instinct or ability to leave and will perish with the onset of winter. While on the other hand, open water species (i.e., jacks) that spend their entire life traveling great distances will school up and leave for warmer waters before winter sets in.

In the past, I had assumed that groupers perished along with the other reef fish and invertebrates. However, due to recent observations, that might not be the case. A local bayman friend of mine has been seeing groupers up to 8 inches in his offshore fish traps during the months of October and November. Is it possible that these fish, which are closely related to black sea bass, are leaving the bay before winter arrives? Additionally, adult snowy groupers are found at great depths (greater than 1,000 feet) where the water temps are always cold. So in theory they should not be affected by the cold temperatures alone.

The assortment of tropical organisms found in our waters can vary greatly year to year. One summer, we will see a plethora of a particular species, and the following year they will be absent. Factors such as variations in population abundance, timing of spawns, and most importantly, the flow of the Gulf Stream will affect what critters are carried to our area. The years with the most diversity are always those years where the winds blow from the south/southeast. This wind pattern will push eddies that have broken away from the main flow of the Gulf Stream inshore, carrying with them waves of tropical drifters.

What will this summer bring? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, these tropical drifters will add quite a bit of excitement to an otherwise normal day on the waters of Long Island.

With a degree in marine biology from liu/southampton, chris paparo is the manager of stony brook southampton’s marine sciences center. Additionally, he is an award-winning member of the outdoor writers association of america and the nys outdoor writers association. You can follow paparo on social media at @fishguyphotos.