DISTINGUISHING FEATURES AND BEHAVIORS

The cunner is a small, slender fish that belongs to the wrasse family of fish. It is characterized by a single, long dorsal fin, with sharp spines forward and soft rays in the rear. The cunner is closely related to and often incorrectly identified as tautog. A cunner is generally smaller than tautog, not as stout bodied, and has thinner lips. The cunner has distinct iridescent blue streaks running from its mouth back to its gill cover.

The cunner has large scales and tough skin with a vertically flattened body. Its flat-topped head has a pointed snout and a small mouth, generally exposing several of the sharp teeth. The cunner's tail fin is blunt with rounded corners.

Cunners live near the coastline, usually found inhabitating eelgrass beds, and swims near piers and docks and among rocks. Although it rarely travels into brackish water, it is occasionally seen in tidal creeks. Some cunners live together in small groups, but they do not school.

Although the cunner lives in the Bay all year, it hibernates in the mud during the winter season. During hibernation, it lies among rocks or eelgrass beds in a motionless state.

Cunners are aggressive omnivores as well as scavengers. They feed on barnacles, mollusks, shrimp, crabs, amphipods, small fish, and almost any other available food sources, including eelgrass.

It is difficult to determine the age of a cunner simply by looking at its size, as growth rates differ among individuals, and females often grow larger than males.

RELATIONSHIP TO PEOPLE

At one time, cunner was considered a favorite food fish, but it is no longer commonly sought after commercially. It is not a popular game fish, but is occasionally caught recreationally. Cunners can be a nuisance to fishermen becuase the cunner often steal bait.

It is possible to view cunners in the larger near-shore tide pools along Narragansett Bay. Cunners will hide under rocks and around large clumps of Irish moss and other seaweeds, with the colors of the fish blending so well it makes them challenging to spot.