Gasping at the surface near the pier, this fish was in trouble. Or so I thought. But it seemed to successfully dive back into the deeps, so it might have been feeding at something I couldn’t see on the surface. About 14″ long: what is it? 
And here, soon after low tide way up the Gowanus, a school of much smaller killifish, perhaps Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus).
Fish
Published June 25, 2014 Fieldnotes 4 CommentsTags: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge Park, fish, Gowanus
Backyard and Beyond 
“Way up the Gowanus” – is this an indication that the canal is getting less polluted?
Perhaps, although I’ve seen these little ones in the canal for years now. They seem to be pretty hardy, even in oxygen-starved, polluted water.
The floater looks to be a large Atlantic Menhaden, (Brevoortia tyrannus). known regionally as “bunker” (pronounced “bunka”) 🙂
Sure looks like it with that sharply veed tail! Thanks, Ron.
An oily fish once used for fertilizer; indeed, the name menhaden is supposed to be a Native American word for fertilizer. Now used for their oil and as animal feed.