Fishing around docks and oyster reefs can yield an unpleasant surprise: squirming on the hook is a squat, monstrous-looking fish with a broad, toad-like mouth and mottled, slimy skin. This is the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau, which in my book wins the fishy ugly contest fins-down. Its yellow-brown splotches are perfect camouflage as it sits patiently in wait for small crustaceans and fish (or a fishing lure) to venture close enough to capture with a big gulp of the gaping mouth. Toadfish grunt when handled, and during mating season the male emits a low, foghorn-like call by vibrating its swim bladder to attract an equally ugly mate.
Photo of an oyster toadfish sitting in an aquarium "Opsanus tau". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
Other fishy monsters in the estuary are sea robins. These medium-size fish, less than a foot long, are distinctive because the side, or dorsal, fins are large and winglike, with three of the fin rays detached for use as feelers. Sea robins have big bony heads and large mouths. Because they sit on the bottom, supporting themselves with their side fins, they are often brought up in estuarine trawls.
Photo of two sea robins resting on their dorsal fins, with fin ray feelers extended. "Helidonichthys spinosus". Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
A strange looking, but comical, small fish of the tidal marsh is the naked goby, Gobiosoma bosc. The naked goby and related species are small mud-colored fish with elongated bodies and squarish heads sporting big, googly eyes. Gobies are bottom dwellers; look for them around oyster reefs and in marsh creek tidal pools. The gobies' pelvic fins are modified to form a sucking disc that lets them easily stick to surfaces. This adaptation helps them shelter within empty oyster shells while swift tidal currents flow past.
A naked goby with googly eyes. "Captured naked goby" by Niclan7 - . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Pipefish have long thin bodies encased in bony rings, with a small mouth at the end of an elongated snout. Several species of pipefish are found in the estuary, where they feed on small zooplankton.
Drawing of a pipefish, note sea-horse like mouth. "Syngnathus acus Schlegel" by n - n. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Pipefish are close relatives of the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus, which lives in hard-bottom habitats such as Gray's Reef offshore.
A seahorse common in rocky habitats off the Georgia coast, with body camouflaged to blend into its benthic habitat.
"Linedseahorse". Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikipedia -
A similarly odd fish is the northern needlefish, Strongylura marina, slender like a pipefish but with a soft scaly body and long, pointed jaws with numerous small sharp teeth. The darting forms of needlefish are often seen at the water surface in the estuary, especially around docks, hunting for prey.
A very thin northern needlefish. "Fish4485 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library" by SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC. - NOAA Photo Library: fish4485. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -