Giant stingray, large predatory fish found in Long Island Sound
A stingray and a large predatory fish — both fairly exotic to the Connecticut coast — were found this week by a trawl survey crew with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The first exotic discovery occurred when a Long Island Sound Trawl Survey crew monitoring the waters along the Connecticut coast trawled up a roughtail stingray that was over 6 feet long and 5 feet wide and was estimated to weigh about 400 pounds. The stingray is generally found along the Atlantic coast from New England to Florida but is “relatively rare” in the Long Island Sound, according to Connecticut Fish and Wildlife.
The roughtail stingray has a venomous spine in its tail like all stingrays, but marine biologists say they are not aggressive and don’t frequent shallow waters near the shore where people wade and swim.
The other fairly rare species found during the expedition was a cobia, which is a large predatory fish capable of reaching sizes in excess of 6 feet and 150 pounds, according to Connecticut Fish and Wildlife. This type of fish has historically been abundant south of the Chesapeake Bay but has increasingly been a visitor to New England as waters have warmed due to climate change.
David Molnar, a marine fisheries biologist, said the two species have been making their way further north as waters around the state continue to warm. He called both species “visitors” that won’t stick around as waters begin to cool during fall and winter.
“You have to understand these fish know no political boundaries,” Molnar said.
Molnar said the trawl surveys have been conducted regularly for three decades and serve as an important tool to monitor the health of fisheries and observe the marine ecosystem. Despite only about 23 species being found yearround off the coast of Connecticut, Molnar said about 135 different species have been documented in
the Long Island Sound throughout the years.
“It’s amazing how many species there are in the ocean that coexist,” Molnar said, adding that he foresees many other exotic species typically found further south being discovered along the coast of Connecticut as waters continue to warm.