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

Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) - Native

8 cm threespine stickleback.

A 3-inch adult threespine stickleback.

Identification. Dorsal spines 3-4. Pelvic fins each with one sharp spine and one soft ray. No well-developed cusp (pointed projection) at base of pelvic fin spine. Pelvic bones joined across breast. 28 or more bony plates on each side. Caudal peduncle usually with a short lateral keel. Typically grayish-green on back, tan to silvery iridescent on sides, and white on belly. May have pale vertical bars. Breasts of spawning males become bright orange.

Threespine stickleback in a tank.

Aquarium photo of a threespine stickleback.

Size. Commonly 1.5 to 2 inches. State survey max. size 3 inches. Max. reported size 4.3 inches.

Distribution. Coastal marine and fresh waters with a circumpolar, but disjunct distribution that includes parts of Europe, eastern Asia, and the West and East Coasts of North America from Alaska to Baja and from Hudson Bay in Canada to Chesapeake Bay in the United States. In Connecticut, they are found along the entire coastline and in the mouths of nearly all major coastal streams, where they are typically common in abundance. They are most likely to move upstream into near-fresh water during the spring and early summer spawning season.

Threespine stickelback distribution map.

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

Habits. Prefer vegetated areas of salt marshes, estuaries and tidal creeks. Can easily be captured with small-mesh dip net or seine.

Comments. Freshwater populations exist as far south as Massachusetts, but none are known in Connecticut.

 

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.