INTRODUCTION

This pictorial guide is intended to help in the field identification of the common,important and unusual fishes of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. It also serves as a systematic reference to all of the fishes known from Gray's Reef and may be useful for the identification of fishes at similar natural live bottom and artificial reefs of the inner- and midshelf of the southeast U.S. coast.

The effort to prepare this guide began in 1980. It involved more than 80 SCUBA dives at Gray's Reef by the author in order to conduct fish censuses, underwater still and video photography of fishes, and the collection of fishes for subsequent study, identification, and illustration.

The 91 species illustrated in the guide are those that are most characteristic of Gray's Reef, most likely to be seen by the SCUBA diver or sportfisherman or most distinctive in appearance or habits. The Systematic Checklist contains all the species presently known to occur at Gray's Reef as well as others that have been reported from the area. Each species is also classified by habitat preference and distribution records for its occurrence at Gray's Reef are cited. Following the Introduction, which contains general information on the geology, climatology, oceanography, ecology and fishes of Gray's Reef, is a section on how to use the field guide.

The Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary was designated in January 1981. It is located 17.5 nmi (nautical miles) east of Sapelo Island, Georgia and encompasses an area of approximately 17 sq. nmi (square nautical miles; Figure 1). Water depth at the sanctuary is 55 to 65 feet (17 - 20 m).

Gray's Reef is a good example of productive marine habitat, also known as live bottom, along the southeast U.S. continental shelf.

The reef was formed from marine sediments (mud, sand, shells) that were deposited during the Pliocene Epoch between 5 and 2 million years ago. The sediments were consolidated into rock by exposure above sea level during subsequent glacial periods between 40,000 and 20,000 years ago (Hunt 1974, Henry pers. comm.). Today, the fossiliferous limestone resembles poorly set concrete or mortar. The rock is soft enough for burrowing and excavating marine organisms, yet hard enough for algae (seaweeds), sponges, hard corals, gorgonians, bryozoans, barnacles, and other organisms to attach or anchor themselves.

Figure 1. Location of Gray's Reef in relation to the southeast coast of the U. S. Inset shows latitude and longitude of sanctuary boundaries. (depth isobaths in meters)