The Case of the Jumping Fish

Sunrise at the marina.

While walking the dogs this morning, I decided to take a little sojourn from our usual loop to a small public beach. Technically, dogs are not allowed but it's post-season and normal people do not lounge  at 6:30am.

Low tide looking towards Buzzards Bay.

Anyway, Sandy and Tia love the beach and, while they played and sniffed, we heard something thrashing and splashing in the water. Upon closer inspection, I noticed tightly shoaling juvenile fish trying to swim to a protected area in the sea grass close to shore.

At low tide, the water is knee-to-waste deep, but a strong current (which the shoal is swimming against) is quite dangerous. If you fall, it's strong enough to quickly sweep you away from shore and into Buzzards Bay.

Suddenly, fish from the tight shoal leaped into the air as two or three, foot-long Striped Bass (Stripers) breached, cutting through the shoal and violently slapping their tails on the water. This cooperative predatory behavior scatters and disorients the tightly shoaling fish. Percussive tail slapping probably stuns fish directly underneath, which are quickly swallowed whole.

water turbulence from breaching Stripers

See the breaching Striper in the upper-right-hand corner? Once it dives, the tail slap follows.

See the jouvie fish jumping out of the water to flee their predators? If you look hard enough, you can see a Striper (big blurred object) moving just under the water...called lunging behavior.

Another example of fish fleeing from a predator, which is in the upper left-hand corner. See the belly?

For those who do not live in New England, Striped Bass are a prize to catch. They fight like hell, are typically big, and are difficult to catch, supposedly.

I have no idea who this is. Apparently, they caught their Striped Bass in some sort of tournament off the Cape.

 I could have watched the Stripers feed all day but, alas, had to return to the boat and get ready for work. Here's a picture of Sandy and Tia enjoying the little beach.