Date: Sunday f 20, 2012
Poutassou Sea Fish
This fish was formerly mistaken for the Common Whiting, but Risso was led to suppose that there was a specific difference between them, although no opportunity had offered itself to him for comparison. In the month of May 1840, an example answering to Risso's description of this species, was taken with a line by a fisherman of Polperro, and, as even to this ordinary observer, its difference from the well-known Whiting was apparent, it was brought to me for further inquiry.
A description and figure were taken, and the first announcement of its discovery in Britain was made by Mr. Yarrell, in the second edition of his "History of British Fishes, where, however, the engraving represents it much darker than it should be. Risso says that its haunts are in the deepest portion of the sea in the neighbourhood of Nice, where it is fished for at all times of the year, that it spawns in the spring, but that its flesh is rather soft.
And this seems to have remained the whole which was known of its history, until the summer of 1851, when, in the month of July, I received information that immense numbers of small fishes were at a few miles from land along our coast, and that the larger fishes were devouring them eagerly, so that the stomachs of the latter were found distended with them.
There was little difficulty in procuring an opportunity for examination, and I was agreeably surprised to find that these numerous small fishes were the young of the Poutassou, which therefore must have produced them on our coast, although the parent fish in this instance had not been discovered.
These young ones measured about five inches in length, and closely resembled the larger example, except perhaps that the body was more slender, and in consequence the head appeared proportionally a little larger. They continued to abound for about three weeks, at the end of which, between the 21st and 23rd of July, they all suddenly disappeared.
The length of the example first referred to was fifteen inches, depth two inches and a half, the greatest depth being at the vent, which is anterior to a line drawn from the origin of the first dorsal fin, from the mouth to the edge of the gill covers three inches. Under jaw a little the longest, eye large, upper maxillary bone terminal, the snout receding from it backward, contrary to the form of the Whiting, in which the upper jaw is under a projection.
The general shape of the body more slender than in the Whiting, but that this did not proceed from emaciation is shown by the roundness of the back, which was plump. Prominent teeth in the jaws, and at the roof of the mouth a pair of prominent, sharp, incurved teeth. Lateral line straight, passing along near the back, another line along the middle of the side, formed by the meeting of the muscles, the body ending more slender at the caudal fin.
The first dorsal begins over the posterior third of the pectoral, second dorsal like the first in shape and elevation, both being triangular, between them a space about equal to their individual breadths, nearly twice this breadth between the second and third dorsal fins, the beginning of the third dorsal slightly anterior to the second anal fin, caudal fin shaped as in the Whiting, but less wide, the pectoral ends opposite the middle of the first dorsal, ventrals small and slender, rather high on the side, and much like those of the Pollack, the longest ray seven eights of an inch in length.
From the vent to the first anal fin a quarter of an inch first anal long, widest in the middle, second anal. longer than the third dorsal, both ending close to the caudal fin. Colour on the back brown, sides much lighter, belly white, eye yellow, lighter yellow on the gill covers. A dark spot on the upper border of the origin of the dorsal fin , along the base of the anal fins a broad white band, but nut at the margin, and this remained unaltered after the brilliancy of all besides had greatly faded.
The distinctions between this fish and the Common Whiting are obvious in the more slender shape, the jaws, teeth in the palate, lateral line, fins, and colour. The number of rays in the fins were, in the dorsals thirteen, twelve, and twenty-two, and thirty-five and twenty-five, pectoral twenty, ventral six.
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