Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus) - Native

Hogchoker.

Hogchokers are the only Connecticut flatfish that will range far up tidal rivers.

Identification. Small, right-facing flatfish. No pectoral fins. Pelvic fins small. Dorsal fin reaches tip of snout. Small downward-curved mouth. Dark brownish color with many small black spots (may be faint) on sides and fins. Often has 9-11 thin, dark vertical lines on the darker side. Back dark brown to olive. Body and fins covered with profuse dark spots/blotches. Belly cream to gray, often with faint spots.

Ventral view of a hogchoker.

Bottom view of a 5-inch hogchoker.

Size. Commonly 2 to 4 inches. Max. reported size 7.9 inches.

Distribution. Atlantic coastal waters from Massachusetts to Panama. In Connecticut, hogchokers are found in most coastal streams, where they are typically common to abundant.

Hogchoker distribution map.

All maps created in 2009. See CT DEEP Fish Community Data for updated distributions.

Habits. Prefer inshore marine waters, but will enter fresh water, sometimes traveling long distances upriver. They move into saltier reaches of estuaries during May through October to spawn. Younger juveniles tend to stay near the mouths of rivers, while older juveniles move upstream. Adults are much less likely to be found in fresh water. Hogchokers can be captured with small-mesh dip net or seine. They can be kept in home aquariums and will eat a variety of invertebrates and frozen squid. They tolerate fresh water, but do best with some degree of salinity. They grow slowly and, as do other flatfishes, stay close to the bottom.

Comments. Their effective camouflage coloring makes them difficult to see. Apparently during Colonial times, “hogchokers” fed to pigs proved difficult to swallow.

Juvenile winter flounder.

This juvenile 5-inch winter flounder can be distinguished from a hogchoker by the presence of pectoral fins.

 

Text and images adapted from Jacobs, R. P., O'Donnell, E. B., and Connecticut DEEP. (2009). A Pictorial Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Connecticut. Hartford, CT. Available for purchase at the DEEP Store.