Species Information

Select an underlined link in the table below for more information about that species. PDF files may require Adobe Reader software (download here free) to view or print.

Also see the Commercial Fishing page for recent and historical Maine commercial catch data for many of these species.  Visit the Maine State Aquarium to see many Maine marine fish and invertebrate species in person!

Information on federally managed species is provided here by links to NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources (OPR), FishWatch program, and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Sustainable Fisheries Division, and by links to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

If you need further regulatory information, please contact your local Marine Patrol officer or one of the three Marine Patrol offices.

For more information, other species, and identification keys, try Leland W. Pollock's A Practical Guide to the Marine Animals of Northeastern North America from Rutgers University Press, available in part here free via Google Books or the 1953 classic, Bigelow and Schroeder's Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, available here free via the Gulf of Maine Research Inst.

Please contact DMR's webmaster if any of these links fail.

Species Name Picture and Basic Info from
Do You Know Your Catch?		 More Information
Alewife Alewife Description Maine River Herring Info | River Herring Info c/o GARFO | River Herring Info c/o ASMFC | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Sea Run Fish & Chapter 30)
Asian Shore Crab Asian Shore Crab Fact Sheet and Questionnaire
Black Sea Bass Black Sea Bass Description Black Sea Bass Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Black Sea Bass Info c/o ASMFC | Black Sea Bass Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Other Finfish & Chapter 51)
Blueback Herring Blueback Herring Description Maine River Herring Info | River Herring Info c/o GARFO | River Herring Info c/o ASMFC | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Sea Run Fish & Chapter 30)
Blue Shark Blue Shark Description see Sharks below
Bluefin Tuna Bluefin Tuna Description Recreational Fishing Info for Large Pelagics | Bluefin Tuna Info c/o NOAA | Bluefin Tuna Info c/o NOAA FishWatch  Also see Tunas below
Bluefish Bluefish Description Bluefish Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Bluefish Info c/o ASMFC | Bluefish Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Other Finfish) and Chapter 43)
Brown Trout Brown Trout Description Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Sea Run Fish and Chapter 37)
Butterfish Butterfish Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Butterfish Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Clams Shellfish Safety and Management | Clam Species Identification
Cod Atlantic Cod Description Multispecies Fishery | Cod Tagging Program c/o GMRI | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Cod Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Crabs   See Green Crabs, Horseshoe Crabs, and Jonah Crabs below, and Invasive Species below for Asian Shore Crab and Chinese Mitten Crab
Cunner Cunner Description
Cusk Cusk Description Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34) | Cusk Info c/o GARFO
Dab see Plaice below
Dogfish Spiny Dogfish Description Spiny Dogfish Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Spiny Dogfish Info c/o ASMFC | Dogfish Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Fishing Regulations (see Chapter 50)
Eelgrass Maps of Maine Eelgrass Beds
Eels and Elvers American Eel and Elver Info | American Eel Info c/o ASMFC | Eel Sport Fishing Regulations (see Sea Run Fish)
Flounder see Summer, Windowpane, Winter, Witch, and Yellowtail Flounder below
Goosefish Goosefish Description see Monkfish below
Green Crabs Green Crab Info
Groundfish (multispecies) Multispecies Commercial Fishery The species managed under the northeast multispecies fishery plan include: American Plaice, Atlantic Cod, Atlantic Halibut, Atlantic Wolffish, Haddock, Ocean Pout, Offshore Hake, Pollock, Red Hake, Redfish, Silver Hake, White Hake, Windowpane Flounder, Winter Flounder, Witch Flounder, and Yellowtail Flounder | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Haddock Haddock Description Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Haddock Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Hake see Offshore Hake, Red Hake, White Hake, and Whiting below
Halibut Atlantic Halibut Description Maine Halibut Fishery | Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Herring Atlantic Herring Description Blueback Herring Description Maine Atlantic Herring Info | Atlantic Herring Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Atlantic Herring Info c/o ASMFC | Atlantic Herring Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | also see Blueback Herring above
Horseshoe Crabs Horseshoe Crab Info c/o ASMFC
Invasive Species Non-Native Invasive Marine Species in Maine | Green Crab | Asian Shore Crab | Chinese Mitten Crab
Jonah Crabs Jonah Crab Info c/o ASMFC
Lobsters Lobster Biology, Fishery, Management, and More!
Mackerel Atlantic Mackerel Description Mackerel Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Mackerel Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Other Finfish)
Mako Shark Shortfin Mako Shark Description Shortfin Mako Shark Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | also see Sharks below
Marine Mammals Marine Mammals, Seals, Whales, Dophins, Porpoises, Reporting Hotline
Menhaden Atlantic Menhaden Description
Monkfish Goosefish Description Monkfish Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Monkfish Info c/o NOAA FishWatch
Mussels Blue Mussels Fact Sheet | Shellfish Safety and Management | Aquaculture
Ocean Pout Ocean Pout Description Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Offshore Hake Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Oysters Aquaculture
Plaice (American), Dab Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Pollock American Pollock Description Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Pollock Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Porbeagle Shark Porbeagle Shark Description see Sharks below
Protected Species   Protected Species (Whales, Seals, Dolphins, Porpoises, Sea Turtles), Reporting Hotline
Quahog   Ocean Quahog Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Ocean Quahog Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Shellfish Species Identification
Redfish Redfish Description Multispecies Fishery | Redfish Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Red Hake Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Small-Mesh Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Red Hake Info from NOAA Fishwatch
River Herring see Alewife and Blueback Herring above
Rockweed Maine Rockweed Info
Salmon Atlantic Salmon Description Maine Salmon Projects | Atlantic Salmon info c/o GARFO | Atlantic Salmon Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Aquaculture | Tips on Releasing
Scallops Maine Sea Scallop Info | Sea Scallop Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Sea Scallop Info c/o NOAA FishWatch
Sculpin Longhorn Sculpin Description
Scup Scup Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Sea Cucumbers Maine Sea Cucumber Info
Sea Raven Sea Raven Description
Sea Turtles Protected Species
Sea Urchins Green Sea Urchin Info
Seaweed Maine Rockweed Info | Aquaculture
Seals Seals, Reporting Hotline | Protected Species
Seaweed Maine Rockweed Info
Shad American Shad Description Maine River Restoration Projects | River Herring & Shad Management Info c/o GARFO | Shad Info c/o ASMFC | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Sea Run Fish & Chapter 44)
Sharks Blue Shark Description | Spiny Dogfish Description | Shortfin Mako Shark Description | Porbeagle Shark Description | Thresher Shark Description Recreational Fishing Info for Large Pelagics | Coastal Sharks Info c/o ASFMC | Shark Info c/o NOAA | also see Dogfish, Mako, and Porbeagle Sharks above and Thresher Shark below
Shrimp Northern Shrimp Info | Northern Shrimp Info c/o NOAA FishWatch
Silver Hake   See Whiting below
Skate Little Skate Description Skate Complex Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Smelt Rainbow Smelt Description Rainbow Smelt Info | Smelt Info c/o NOAA OPR | ME-MA-NH Smelt Info | Sport Fishing Regulations (see Sea Run Fish & Chapter 40)
Squid   Squid Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Striped Bass Striped Bass Description Maine Striped Bass Assessment | Striped Bass Info c/o ASMFC | Striped Bass Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Striped Bass & Chapter 42)
Sturgeon Atlantic Sturgeon Description Maine River Restoration Projects | Atlantic Sturgeon Info c/o GARFO | Shortnose Sturgeon Info c/o GARFO | Atlantic Sturgeon Info c/o ASMFC
Summer Flounder   Summer Flounder Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Surf Clam   Surf Clam Info c/o GARFO | Surf Clam Info c/o NOAA FishWatch
Tautog Tautog Description Tautog Info c/o/ ASMFC
Thresher Shark Thresher Shark Description Thresher Shark Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | also see Sharks above
Tilefish Golden Tilefish Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Tomcod Atlantic Tomcod Species Profile, 1987, pdf file, 17 pages
Tunas Bluefin Tuna Description Recreational Fishing Info for Large Pelagics | Tuna Info c/o NOAA | Tuna Info c/o NOAA FishWatch
Whales Protected Species, Reporting Hotline | Whale Identification
Whelks Waved Whelk Info
White Hake Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Whiting Silver Hake Description Multispecies Fishery | Whiting Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Silver Hake Info from NOAA Fishwatch
Windowpane Flounder Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Winter Flounder Winter Flounder Description Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Winter Flounder Info c/o ASMFC | Winter Flounder Info c/o NOAA FishWatch | Maine Sport Fishing Regulations (see Groundfish & Chapter 34)
Witch Flounder Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Wolffish Atlantic Wolffish Description Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO
Yellowtail Flounder Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o GARFO | Yellowtail Flounder Info c/o NOAA FishWatch