Tautog

The tautog or blackfish (Tautoga onitis) also known as the "poor-man's lobster" (tô'tôg', -tŏg', tô-tôg', -tŏg'), Tautoga onitis, is a fish of the wrasse family found in salt water from Nova Scotia to Georgia. It lives along the bottom, in and amongst rocks, wrecks, mussel beds, bridge pilings or other bottom features.

Barlett (1848) wrote " is a Native American word, and may be found in Roger Williams' Key to the Indian Language." The name is from the Narragansett language, originally tautauog (pl. of taut). It is also called a "black porgy" (cf. Japanese black porgy), "chub" (cf. the freshwater chub), "oyster-fish" (in North Carolina) or "blackfish" (in New York/New Jersey, New England).