The cunner (''Tautogolabrus adspersus''), also known as the blue perch, bergall, chogset, choggie, conner or sea perch, is a species of

wrasse The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine ray-finned fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into nine subgroups or tribes. They are typically small, ...

native to the northwestern Atlantic, where it is found from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

to the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. They inhabit inshore waters living near the sea floor at depths from , preferring areas with beds of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

shipwrecks A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

, or

wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

pilings. They spend the winter months in a state of

torpor Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. The term "torpor" can refer to the ti ...

underneath rocks. They can also be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade. Often, cunner is found mixed in with

tautog The tautog (''Tautoga onitis''), also known as the blackfish, is a species of wrasse native to the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. This species inhabits hard substrate habitats in inshore waters at depths from . It is ...

s, living on or near the same structures. Much of the food eaten by those bergall living among blackfish are the leftovers from the blackfishes prey. They can be distinguished from the

by their pointed snouts. Cunners are generally smaller, so are usually thrown back by anglers who think they caught a "short" tautog. In past years, they have been important commercial fish, but now are considered pests. They can be confused with

black sea bass The black sea bass (''Centropristis striata'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western ...

rockfish Rockfish is a common term for several species of fish, referring to their tendency to hide among rocks. The name rockfish is used for many kinds of fish used for food. This common name belongs to several groups that are not closely related, and ca ...

and other

grouper Groupers are a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, in the order Perciformes. Groupers were long considered a subfamily of the seabasses in Serranidae, but are now treated as distinct. Not all members of this f ...

, as well as tautog, for their ability to change color. Cunner can enter a hypometabolic state in response to cold temperatures and hypoxic conditions. In Newfoundland, Canada, cunner have been recorded entering a dormant state in Autumn, when temperatures fall below 5°C, and remaining dormant until May/June. ''Tautogolabrus adspersus'' is currently the only known member of its

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

. On May 26, 2019, the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife officially certified the catch of a new state record saltwater fish, weighing 3 pounds, 8.8 ounces, eclipsing the previous state record by 6.4 ounces. The fish measured 18.5″ in length and had a girth of 13″.

Gallery

File:Tautogolabrus adspersus, Spring Garden, Halifax, NS, CA imported from iNaturalist photo 204486612 (cropped).jpg,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada File:Tautogolabrus adspersus, Rockport, MA 01966, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 28855630.jpg, Massachussetts, USA File:Tautogolabrus adspersus, Bay of Fundy, Grand Manan, NB, CA imported from iNaturalist photo 231295105.jpg,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada File:Tautogolabrus adspersus, Shinnecock Bay, Southampton, NY, US imported from iNaturalist photo 421704545.jpg, Juvenile,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, USA File:Annual report of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission of the State of New York (1899) (14732448936).jpg, 1899 illustration

References

Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Labridae Fish described in 1792 {{Labridae-stub