ScampFri, Jul 29, 2022 12:49 PM
The Scamp grouper (Mycteroperca phenax), is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. Scamp can be found in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina south along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States into the Gulf of Mexico where it has been recorded as far south as Belize, but it is absent from much of the West Indies It is also found along the Caribbean coast of South America from Colombia to Tobago. Juveniles are sometimes recorded as far north as Massachusetts and a vagrant has been caught in the Azores.
The scamp grouper is found at depths of 0 to 100 metres (0 to 328 ft), the adults are found over rock ledges and rocky bottoms with high relief usually deeper than 30 metres (98 ft). Juveniles are found in reefs in shallower water and will enter estuaries and mangroves. The adults will migrate from deep water to shallower water when the t
SpadefishSat, Oct 21, 2023 7:42 PM
The Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) is a species of marine fish belonging to the family Ephippidae. Generally Spadefish reach a maximum length of 36 inches and a maximum weight of 20 pounds. They can be described as silver color with 4 to 6 black vertical bars on each side (may fade in larger fish) they also have a deep, compressed body, the first and second dorsal fins separated, and the tail-shape is concave. The second dorsal fin and anal fin are elongated. Young are entirely dark brown or black in color
Spadefish are found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to southeastern Brazil, including the northern Gulf of Mexico. Also found off Bermuda and throughout the Caribbean. They spawn in spring and summer and travel in large schools Small juveniles may drift on their sides to mimic floating debris. They feed on crustaceans and other invertebrates.
Red hooks and Cannonball Jellyfish are a common bait. Clam strips also work well. The meat is very good to eat.
Atlantic MenhadenTue, Aug 30, 2022 8:24 PM
The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is a North American species of fish in the herring family, Clupeidae. Atlantic menhaden are found in the North Atlantic coastal and estuarine waters from Nova Scotia south to northern Florida. They are commonly found in all salinities of the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic water. They swim in large schools that stratify by size and age along the coast. For the most part menhadens can be found at a depth of up to -20m.
Brevoortia tyrannus can be described as a silvery in color. However, the sides of it differ from the silver color and range closer to a brassy color. Menhadens have dark bluish green backs. They are usually characterized by a small, irregularly placed scales on their backs, above their anal fins. They are also characterized by a black spot that is usually behind their gill openings. Following this larger black spot are approximately six lines of smaller spots. They have inner and outer finrays and a pelvic fin with rounded h
Yellowtail SnapperMon, Feb 07, 2022 10:03 PM
The Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) is an abundant species of snapper native to the western Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Although they have been found as far north as Massachusetts, their normal range is along Florida south to the West Indies and Brazil. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Ocyurus, the name of which is derived from the Greek words okys, meaning "swift", as in the bird, and oura, meaning "tail", a reference to the tail being forked like that of a swift. Chrysurus is derived from the Greek word chryso, meaning "golden".
Yellowtail snapper have a distinct yellow lateral band beginning at the snout that gets wider towards the forked tail, which is completely yellow. The rest of the fish is an olive to bluish black color with yellow spots above the lateral band. The dorsal fin is yellow while the anal and pelvic fins are whitish by bony spines. The dorsal fin cons
Blue RunnerMon, Feb 07, 2022 8:04 PM
The Blue Runner (Caranx crysos), also known as the bluestripe jack, Egyptian scad, hardtail jack or hardnose, is a common species of moderately large marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The blue runner is distributed across the Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Brazil to Canada in the western Atlantic and from Angola to Great Britain including the Mediterranean in the east Atlantic.
The blue runner is distinguished from similar species by several morphological features, including the extent of the upper jaw, gill raker count and lateral line scale counts. The blue runner's colour varies from bluish green to olive green dorsally, becoming silvery grey to brassy below. Juveniles often have 7 dark vertical bands on their body. Fin colour also varies, with all fins ranging from to dusky or hyaline to olive green. The species also has a dusky spot which may not be distinct on the upper operculum. The blue runner is known to reach a maximum length of 70 cm and 5.05
Striped MulletMon, Feb 07, 2022 7:07 PM
The Striped Mullet, also known as “jumping mullet”, has two widely spaced dorsal fins and a large eye parallel with their mouths. The back is bluish-gray or green, shading to silvery sides and a white belly. They also have many thin horizontal stripes along their side. The second dorsal fin starts over the beginning of the anal fin. A similar species that can be seen in the springs is the white mullet, also known as “silver mullet.” White mullets are easily confused with striped mullet but tend to be smaller, shiny silver in color, lack stripes, and have a dusky black edge to their tails.
Striped mullet is common worldwide in warm to temperate coastal waters. They spend a great deal of time close to shore around the mouths of streams and rivers or in brackish bays, inlets and lagoons with sand or mud bottoms. The striped mullet's diet includes zooplankton, benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms and detritus (dead plants and animals), and
LadyfishMon, Feb 07, 2022 6:01 PM
The ladyfish or tenpounder (Elops saurus) is a species of fish in the genus Elops, the only genus in the monotypic family Elopidae. Like other species in its genus, the ladyfish has a long, slender, rounded body covered with silvery scales. Its mouth is terminal and the tail is deeply forked. The species can be distinguished by counting the number of gill rakers and vertebrae. The name comes from the Greek ellops - a kind of serpent. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders.
The ladyfish are a coastal-dwelling fish found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions, occasionally venturing into temperate waters. They are distributed in the western North Atlantic Ocean from New England to Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico. Its distribution overlaps with the malacho (Elops smithi) in the southeast US and the southern Gulf of Mexico.
The ladyfish is a marine species that lives in primarily coastal environments, and can occasionally be found in cana
White PerchMon, Feb 07, 2022 2:52 PM
The white perch (Morone americana) is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass".
White perch are silver-green to olive in color. The underside of their lower jaw is often purple. Depending upon habitat and size specimens have begun to develop a darker shade near the dorsal fin and along the top of the fish. This sometimes earns them the nickname "black-back". The spiny and soft dorsal fins are joined by a membrane. The anal fin contains three spines; the second spine is thicker than the first and almost as long as the third. There are no teeth on the tongue of the white perch.
White perch have been reported up to 49.5 cm (19.5 in) in length and weighing 2.2 kg (4.9 lb). Average length is 6-9 inches and less than 1 pound, most landlocked specimens less than 1/3 pound.
White perch are a schooling sp
Thread HerringSat, Oct 21, 2023 7:51 PM
The Atlantic thread herring (Opisthonema oglinum) is a herring-like fish in the family Clupeidae. It has a dark blue-gray back, silvery sides, a white belly, and a small head. Upper sides blue-green, sometimes with dark horizontal lines, lower sides and abdomen silvery; dark spot on side posterior to gill cover, about equal in size to diameter of pupil (followed in some specimens by one or more irregular lines of smaller spots); margin of dorsal fin and its filament dusky; caudal fin with black tips. It grows up to 38 cm in length.
Thread Herring can be found in shallow waters and harbors along the coasts of the Western Atlantic (Gulf of Maine, Bermuda, throughout Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and West Indies, southward to Santa Caterina, Brazil). Also off coasts of Ecuador and Peru. Pelagic, coastal, migratory, often forming compact surface schools (but solitary individuals reported); schools from southeastern United States migrate south during autumn and winter when temperatures fall
Hardhead CatfishMon, May 29, 2023 10:38 AM
The Hardhead Catfish (Ariopsis felis) is a species of sea catfish from the northwest Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. It is one of four species in the genus Ariopsis. The common name, hardhead catfish, is derived from the presence of a hard, bony plate extending rearward toward the dorsal fin from a line between the catfish's eyes.
Usually no more than 12 inches in length with a brownish to gray-green bodth, with a white to yellowish belly or underside. Hardhead Catfish also have three prominent, sharp spines (one at beginning of dorsal fin and one on each pectoral fin). The spines do not have fleshy filaments. There are also four barbels on bottom of chin, and 2 barbels at the bottom corner or tip of mouth.
Hardhead catfish are found mostly in the near-shore waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, around the southeast coast of the United States, around the Florida Keys and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Hardhead catfish are also found in brackish estuaries and river mouths w
Atlantic MackerelThu, Jan 27, 2022 3:25 PM
The Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge schools in the pelagic zone down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.
Atlantic mackerel are iridescent blue green on the back with a silvery white underbelly. They have 20 to 30 wavy black bars that run across the top half of their body, and a narrow dark streak that runs below these bars along each side. Their body is spindle-shaped, tapering at both ends. Their two large dorsal fins are gray or dusky. The pectoral f
Scaled SardineThu, Jan 27, 2022 3:00 PM
The Scaled Sardine, Harengula jaguana, is a herring-like fish in the family Clupeidae. It is native to coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, from the Gulf of Mexico (where it is known as the pilchard.
It has a solid back with dark streaks and usually a small dark spot at the upper edge of the gill plate and sometimes one located at the shoulder. It grows up to 8 inches (20 cm) in length but typically is little more than half that size. It is a fast-growing species, living only 12 to 18 months.
Most are found in coastal waters, inshore and nearshore. The spawn offshore. They can usually be caught with strings of wire loops known as minnow rings, sabiki rigs, or by cast netting and make excellent bait. Key predators for scaled sardines are Sailfish, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Little Tunny, Gag Grouper, Bluefish, Jacks, Yellowfin Tuna and Bluefin Tuna.