More than 3,300 known species live in the Gulf of Maine, but some can’t help but stand out.
Andy Pershing, a Gulf of Maine Research Institute scientist, ecosystem modeler and University of Maine assistant professor, helped narrow the pack and supplied information, along with other scientists.
Biggest
Fin whale, second largest whale species at 50 to 70 tons
Numbers: Approximately 20,000 to 40,000 in the North Atlantic
Eat: Krill, herring, sand lance
Eaten by: Occasionally, killer whales in the Gulf (not common here, but have been seen)
Did you know? Nicknamed the Greyhound of the Sea, it can travel up to 23 mph (real greyhounds can run twice that).
Smallest (seen with the naked eye)
Copepods, size of a piece of rice, at best
Numbers: Trillions and trillions
Eat: Phytoplankton, little paramecium
Eaten by: Larval cod and haddock, right whales (they consume a jaw-dropping, and jaw-filling, 700-plus-billion Calanus finmarchicus copepods a day)
DYK? The genus Calanus may be the most abundant multi-cellular organism on the planet.
Most rare
Right whale
Numbers: Fewer than 400 in the North Atlantic
Eats: Copepods, krill
Eaten by: Rarely, large sharks and killer whales; more common is death by ship strike or entanglement
DYK? Named because they were the “right whale” to hunt; unlike lots of other whales, their dead float.
Biggest shark
Basking shark, 20 to 30 feet, rarely up to 50
Numbers: Difficult to estimate; varies by year and amount of food
Eats: Zooplankton, copepods, filter food through their gills
Eaten by: Nada (as adults, very low mortality rate)
DYK? These big guys don’t have teeth and like to laze around swimming on their sides, so you might not spot the fin.
Biggest cash crop
Lobsters, $270 million catch last year
Numbers: Approximately 350-plus million
Eats: Anything, everything
Eaten by: People, cod, crab, other lobsters
DYK? The Maine Lobster Promotion Council has the largest database of lobster recipes (650) in the world. Five hundred are online.
Most valuable groundfish crop (and ugliest Gulf dweller)
Monkfish, at $25 million a year
Numbers: Approximately 118,700 metric tons, over the target amount, meaning healthy stock
Eats: Anything, everything (waves a lure that’s part of its dorsal fin to attract prey, then snaps its mouth shut on its unsuspecting meal)
Eaten by: Other monkfish, people, seals, sharks
DYK? They’re amazing eaters. A 2.4-foot monkfish was once caught with a 2.2-foot cod intact inside its belly.
Most dangerous
Red tide dinoflagellate, causes paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans who eat contaminated seafood
Numbers: Fluctuates. These single-cell algae have annual bloom cycles in March-April and August-September
Eats: Uses photosynthesis
Eaten by: Copepods, muscles, clams, scallops, sponges
DYK? Red tide occurs naturally, normally blooms offshore and in Georges Bank and doesn’t become a problem until wind blows the surface water close. Also a bit of a misnomer; it very rarely turns the Gulf of Maine red.
One you least want to meet
White shark, lots of teeth, not so friendly
Numbers: Difficult to estimate; varies by year and amount of food
Eats: Seals, large fish
Eaten by: Nada (as adults, very low mortality rate); like basking shark, federally protected from fishing
DYK? The first seal pup befriended by the man behind “Andre the Seal” was eaten by a white shark. A later pup became the famous one.
Fastest
Bluefin tuna, can reach up to 50 mph
Numbers: Shrinking; it’s critically endangered
Eats: herring, sand lance, mackerel, squid, eels
Eaten by: People (used for high-grade sushi), killer whales, sharks
DYK? It’s warm-blooded. The Maine State Saltwater Angler Record: 1,155 pounds, caught in 1981 with a harpoon.
Source: Scientists at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Department of Marine Resources and University of Maine; various Web sources
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