September is Tautog Season

• Species name: Tautoga onitis
• The tautog spawning season is from late May until August.
• Fecundity increases exponentially with size and weight. Females 12 inches long produce around 30,000 eggs and 20-inch females produce 196,000 eggs.
• Tautog primarily spawn in eelgrass beds.
• Tautog spend much of the year within 60 feet of water and usually stay within miles from shore. However, they migrate to deeper and warmer offshore waters for the winter.
• They have a home site where they rest each night.
• Tautog eat shallow water invertebrates such as:
  • Mussels
  • Clams
  • Crabs
  • Sand dollars
  • Amphipods
  • Shrimp
  • Small lobsters
  • Barnacles