Fish are the most abundant and diverse group of vertebrates in the ocean, with 538 species recorded in the Canadian Atlantic Region alone. The familiar commercial species of marine fish in Nova Scotia make up only a small proportion of the total number of species. Numerous lesser-known but occasionally abundant species inhabit the various marine and estuarine habitats. The largest fishes include the Basking Shark (second-largest shark species in the world after the Whale Shark) and the Great White Shark, which has been recorded at over 11 m in length at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. The Museum collection includes a White Shark tooth removed from a rowboat, near Digby. The smallest species are probably the various species of sticklebacks, lumpsuckers and snailfish, reaching maximum lengths of 3 to 10 cm.

Fish are a staple of the Nova Scotia economy and a fishing culture encompassing a wide range of fishing techniques, traditions and seasonal activities has been in existence for centuries.

This Document Includes:

Distribution
Estuarine Fish
Groundfish
Patterns of Movement
Pelagic Fish
Patterns of Movement
Mesopelagic Fish
Exotic Warm-Water and Eastern-Arctic Species

Download PDF File (119k, 6 pages, 1 figure)

Additional Keywords:
biomass, estuaries, temperature, spawn, overfishing, stocks, anadromous, catadromous, diversity, demersal, cod, flatfishes, schools, herring, mackerel, Bluefin Tuna, Monkfish

Associated Topics

T6.2 Oceanic Enrironments
T6.3 Coastal Aquatic Environments
T6.4 Estuaries
T11.7 Seabirds and Birds of Marine Habitats
T11.12 Marine Mammals
T12.11 Animals and Resources

Associated Habitats

H1.1 Open Water
H1.2 Benthic
H2.5 Tidal Marsh
H3 Freshwater