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== Ocean Water Fish ==

Ocean Water Fish - An Exciting Catch

Upon his return to England in 1497, John Cabot reported that fish were so abundant in the waters of the North Atlantic (of what is now Newfoundland), one could fold up the nets and retrieve a catch by simply dipping a basket into the sea. By the 16th century, hundreds of ships and thousands of men were drawn by the North American cod and whale fisheries.

The fish brought the fleets that resulted in the settlement of Newfoundland and the establishment of numerous villages in the Maritimes. Since then, fishing has remained a vital industry in Canada, and the fish who inhabit our ocean waters have become part of our heritage. Celebrating that heritage, our new Ocean Water Fish stamps celebrate four of the creatures that swim the waters off the Canadian coastline.

Collectors will be interested to know that the official first day cover for the Ocean Water Fish stamps will be postmarked in Alberton PEI - the site of the largest great white shark caught in Canadian waters, measuring 5.26 metres in length. Making a splash on the issue day of May 30, 1997 in a set of four domestic-rate stamps are the great white shark, bluefin tuna, Pacific halibut and Atlantic sturgeon.

Ocean enthusiasts of all ages will be impressed with the realism of these stamps. The 1997 Ocean Water Fish stamp design is by Q30 Design Inc. of Toronto, whose earlier stamp work includes the Holocaust stamp and the High Technology stamp set. The selection of the fish was a difficult task but an even larger challenge came from the decision to use actual underwater photographs. Although it was extremely difficult to find underwater photographs that were sharp and clear enough to be reproduced in postage stamp size, the design team knew that photography was the best way to convey the qualities of the fish. And the results are stunning.

GREAT WHITE SHARK (Carcharodon carcharias)

There is no shark more notorious than the great white. Found in the warm temperate parts of all oceans, this shark has been recorded in the Atlantic as far north as Hare Bay, Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Occasionally, great white sharks have been reported in British Columbia waters and even as far north as Alaska. In Canada, the great white appears in warm waters, most frequently in August preferring the water temperatures between 12 and 25°C.

Sharks are the modern survivors of an ancient group that was among the first true fish to inhabit primeval seas. They differ from most modern fish in that they have a skeleton of cartilage rather than of bone. Absent also is the swim bladder that other fish have, which means that sharks must move constantly or sink towards the bottom.

Although about 340 species of sharks have been catalogued worldwide from the Arctic to the Antarctic, only 36 species occur in Canadian waters. The great white is distinguished from the other related mackerel sharks by its distinctive, strongly serrated, almost triangular-shaped upper-jaw teeth which approach 8 cm in length. Its snout is conical and pointed, hence the shark is sometimes called the white pointer.

Despite its name, the great white shark is not white at all, except in very large specimens which are a dull white grey. The back is lead grey, grey brown, slate blue or black and fades to a dirty white on the belly. The pectoral fins (both sides) have black tips while the dorsal (back) and caudal (tail) are dark along their rear edges.

The great white lives to be at least 20 years old, while growing to be about six metres in length. Its diet consists of harbour seals, sea lions, harbour porpoises, shell fish, sea turtles, gulls and fish. Many unusual items have been found in the stomachs of these sharks including a whole sheep, a bulldog, a cuckoo clock and bottles and cans.

BLUEFIN TUNA (Thunnus thynnus)

Another large fish from Atlantic Canada is the bluefin tuna. It is one of the twelve members in the family of mackerels and tunas. It can weigh as much as 910 kg and reach lengths of over 4 metres. The bluefin is distinguished by its large size, short pectoral fins, absence of stripes, and variations in the dorsal fins. Found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the bluefin ranges from Newfoundland and southern Labrador to the West Indies and, in the eastern Atlantic, from northern Norway to the Mediterranean. Great travellers, bluefin adults are found in schools of fewer than fifty and swim near the surface, frequently jumping clear of the water. They come to Canada from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida.

The bluefin possess the unusual ability to maintain a body temperature of 10°-15°C warmer than that of the seas in which it swims, allowing it to move into the colder Canadian waters in search of fish stocks. To do this, it must consume up to 25 percent of its own weight each day. The bluefin feeds on schooling species such as herring, sauries, capelin, lanternfish, barracudinas, mackerel, hakes and squid, and is the prey of killer and pilot whales. Caught by purse seine, trapnet and longline, the bluefin is canned or sold fresh. Fishing for bluefin is also a favorite of deep-sea anglers.

PACIFIC HALIBUT (Hippoglossus stenolepis)

Halibut are flatfish and flatfish undergo some interesting physical mutations during the course of their lives. With bodies orientated "normally" at birth, they soon roll onto one side, turning half their bodies to the ocean floor. The eye on the downturned side then gradually migrates around to the top of the head and the cranium becomes twisted.

As with all flatfish, the body of the Pacific halibut is strongly compressed, diamond shaped and highly asymmetrical. The upper or eye side is blackish, dark brown or grey with paler markings and the blind side is normally white. Pacific halibut females grow considerably faster than males, maturing at 12 years of age with a life span of at least 15 years. A large female can produce over 4 million eggs annually. They spawn in the wintertime, and the Pacific halibut will migrate over 1,600 km to produce its eggs. Pacific halibut feed on crab, clams, squid and fish. They are commonly caught on longline or Danish seines.

ATLANTIC STURGEON (Acipenser oxyrhynchus)

These large, primitive bony fish are found in North American waters from Quebec´s Ungava Bay south to Florida. They inhabit coastal waters and ascend rivers from the sea for breeding. Five species of sturgeons are found in Canada. The Atlantic and shortnose are found in Atlantic coastal waters and rivers. The lake sturgeons are found in fresh water east of the Rockies, while white and green sturgeons flourish the Pacific waters and rivers. Caviar is made from Atlantic sturgeon eggs and their flesh is considered delicious fresh or smoked.

The Atlantic sturgeon, which can grow over three metres long, is blue black in colour. It has an elongated head and body, a long upper-tail lobe and five rows of bony plates instead of scales. All sturgeon have four barbels in front of a toothless mouth. They use these hairlike appendages to locate food as they move across the bottom.

The female Atlantic sturgeon will deposit from 800,000 to 2.4 million eggs in a two-week hatching period. The young sturgeon remain in fresh water for up to four years before migrating to the sea. The Atlantic sturgeon can live to at least 60 years of age, measure over 265 cm in length and weigh up to 160 kg.

REFERENCE

Article published in Canada's Stamp Details (Vol. 6 No 3; May/June, 1997)

来源：http://www.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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