Mummichogs, photographed underwater. Courtesy: NOAA
A scene in my story takes place in the salt marsh. Researching mummichogs and marshes, I’ve verified what I’ve experienced and have learned a great deal more in the process. I enjoy the discoveries made in research and have to use my time carefully or I’d never write!
I live in an area rich with salt ponds and marshes. Along the rocks of the breachways, in the ponds and marshes, schools of ‘mummies’ swim just beneath the surface of the water. A small killifish, the name ‘mummichog’ is Native American for ‘going in crowds’. Able to withstand low oxygen levels and extremes in salinity, these little minnows thrive in the brackish water.
Growing up, my brothers used mummies for fishing bait. Since most of my fishing was off the end of a dock at the edge of a salt pond, my bait of choice was the periwinkles that clung to the rocks. I caught small cunners and crabs that I promptly threw back. I don’t think I ever caught anything worth keeping. Probably a good thing. I couldn’t have stomached cleaning my catch.
