African Pompano

Body is deep and compressed. Coloration is metalic -blue above, silvery below. Snout is blunt. Pelvic fins are longer than the maxilla. Second dorsal and anal fins are falcate. Size: to 91cm (3 ft.) and 19 kg (42 lbs) Normally found: Young are found in the open ocean. Adults are found to depths of 55m (180 ft.) often associated with reefs, wrecks and rock ledges. Remarks: Great fighter and good to eat. Often found in schools over structure.

PROTECTED SPECIES ACT: *Must remain in whole condition until landed ashore (heads & tails intact) # Measured as total length. + Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait.

Almaco Jack

Deep-bodied amberjack; sometimes darker in coloration; front of soft dorsal and of anal fins high and elongated; body more flattened than banded rudderfish or greater amberjack; no scutes. Similar fish: other Seriola. Normally found: wide-ranging in OFFSHORE waters, not a common catch; young are associated with Sargassum. Size: usually less than 20 pounds.

Atlantic Bumper

Silvery to golden below; anal and caudal fins yellowish; conspicuous black saddle on caudal peduncle and small black area at edge of opercle; lower profile more arched than upper profile; lateral line strongly arched toward front. Size: to 30 cm (1 ft.). Normally found: one of the most abundant inshore fishes in tropical America; commonly enters bays and estuaries.

Atlantic Croaker

Inferior mouth; 3 to 5 pairs of small barbels on chin; silver-gray or bronze body with dark oblique wavy bars or lines; iridescent especially on head; preopercle strongly serrated. Similar fish: spot, Leiostomus xanthurus (has no chin barbels and has a dark blotch on shoulder). Size: usually less than 2 pounds. Normally found: generally found north of Tampa Bay on the west coast, and north of Cape Canaveral on the east coast; young fish found in estuaries; older fish (2 to 3 years) inhabit deep OFFSHORE waters during the winter months and move into bays and estuaries during the spring, summer, and fall. Remarks: during spawning becomes bronze or yellow in color; spawning apparently occurs OFFSHORE in fall; longevity 2 to 4 years.

Atlantic Sharpnose Shark

Long and flattened snout; white trailing edge of pectoral; black-edged dorsal and caudal fins, especially when young; may have small whitish spots onsides; furrows in lips at the corners of the mouth; outer margin of teeth notched; second dorsal fin originates over middle of anal fin; brown to olivegray in color with white underside; slender body. Similar fish: other carcharhinids. Normally found: INSHORE species, even found in surf; also common in bays and estuaries; adults occur OFFSHORE. Size: a small species, 2 to 4 feet. Remarks: mature adults between 2 to 2.75 feet long; 4-7 newborns range from 9 to 14 inches in length; adults feed on small fish and crustaceans.

PROTECTED SPECIES ACT: *Must remain in whole condition until landed ashore (heads & tails intact) # Measured as total length. + Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait.

Atlantic Spadefish

Silvery with 4 to 6 black vertical bands on each side which sometimes become obscure in larger fish; deep, flattened body; separated first and second dorsal fins; concave caudal fin; anterior rays of second dorsal fin and anal fin elongated. Similar fish: no close resemblance, but frequently and mistakenly called angelfish. Normally found: INSHORE and NEARSHORE, around natural and artificial reefs, and especially near navigation markers in 15 to 20 feet of water. Size: most catches less than 2 pounds, known to reach 15 pounds. Remarks: spawns in spring and summer; travels in large schools; small juveniles almost totally black, known to drift on their sides and mimic floating debris; feeds on crustaceans, small encrusting invertebrates, and may nibble on tentacles of jellyfish.

Atlantic Thread Herring (Gizzard Shad)

Back dark blue/gray, sides silvery, belly white; small head Normally found: in salt water from Cape Cod to Brazil, including Gulf of Mexico Size: up to 16" Remarks: has scales on ridge of back before dorsal fin.

Ballyhoo

Tip of lower jaw and upper lobe of caudal fin orange-red; pectoral fin short; tip of pelvic fin extends past beginning of dorsal fin; dorsal and anal fins unscaled. Normally found: young are pelagic; adults abundant in bays and nearshore waters, near reefs Size: up to 16"

Banded Rubberfish

Fish less than 11 inches long have dark band from eye to first dorsal fin and six prominent bars on body; larger fish are bluish, greenish, or brown; soft dorsal base about twice the length of the anal fin; tail-lobe white tipped. Similar fish: other Seriola. Normally found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE over hard bottom, generally in shallower water than other amberjacks; young associated with weed lines or floating debris and may follow sharks and other large fish. Size: usually less than 10 pounds. Remarks: adults feed on fish and shrimp; spawns OFFSHORE most of year.

Bigeye Scad

Eye very large – diameter greater than snout length; no detached dorsal and anal finlets; two widely separated fleshly tabs on inside of rear edge of gill chamber; scutes present only on rear part of lateral line. Size: to 60 cm (2 ft.)., but usually less than 30 cm (1 ft.).

Black Drum

High arched back; 10 to 14 pairs of chin barbels; gray or black colored body in adults; young have 4 to 6 vertical bars; has cobblestone like teeth capable of crushing oysters; scales large. Similar fish: red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus; the vertical bars on juvenile black drum are somewhat similar to those on sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus; and spadefish, Chaetodipterus faber. Normally found: INSHORE fish common to bays and lagoons; bottom dweller often found around oyster beds; also OFFSHORE. Size: common to 30 pounds. Remarks: largest member of the drum family; spawns nearshore in winter and early spring; feeds on oysters, mussels, oysters, crabs, shrimp, and occasionally fish; longevity to 35 or more years.

Black Grouper

Olive or gray body coloration with black blotches and brassy spots; gently rounded preopercle; (see gag, next page) Similar fish: gag, M. microlepis; yellowfin grouper, M. venenosa. Normally found: OFFSHORE species; adults associated with rocky bottoms, reefs, and drop off walls in water over 60 feet deep; young may occur INSHORE in shallow water. Size: common to 40 pounds, may attain weights exceeding 100 pounds; no Florida record because of identity confusion with gag, which are mistakenly called “black grouper.” Remarks: spawns between May and August; protogynous hermaphrodites, young predominately female, transforming into males as they grow larger; larger individuals generally in greater depths; feeds on fish and squid.

Blackfin Tuna

Pectoral fin moderately long, reaching point below beginning of 2nd dorsal fin; 2nd dorsal fin dusky; all finlets dusky, with white edges; dorsal finlets sometimes turn yellowish at base after death; a broad, brownish stripe along upper part of side; eye large; 19 to 25 gill rakers (usually 21 to 23) on 1st arch. Size: to 1 m (3.25 ft.) and 19 kg (42 lbs.). Normally found: near shore and offshore.

Blacknose Shark

Distinctive dusky smudge at snout tip (more prominent in young); no dark tips on fins; pale olive-gray above, whitish below; 1st dorsal fin begins above rear corner of pectoral fin; no mid dorsal ridge; upper teeth very asymmetrical, those toward front coarsely serrated at base. Size: up to 1.5 m (5 ft.). Normally found: common in bays and lagoons.

Blacktip Shark

Dark bluish gray (young paler) above, whitish below; distinctive whitish stripe on flank; inside tip of pectoral fin conspicuously black; dorsal fin, anal fin, and lower lobe of caudal fin also black-tipped in young, fading with growth; 1st dorsal fin begins above axil of pectoral fin; snout long, almost v-shaped from below; no mid dorsal ridge; upper and lower teeth serrated, nearly symmetrical. Size: Up to 2.5 m (8.25 ft.). Normally found: principally pelagic, but often comes inshore in large schools, particularly in association with Spanish mackerel; frequently the most common shark (especially young) in clear-water cuts and along beaches in Florida and Bahamas. Similar species: in the Spinner Shark the 1st dorsal fin begins above a point behind the pectoral fin, and the snout is longer.

Blue Marlin

Color cobalt blue on top shading to silvery white on bottom; upper jaw elongated in form of a spear; dorsal fin pointed at front end; pectoral fin and anal fin pointed; lateral line reticulated (interwoven like a net), difficult to see in large specimens; no dark spots on dorsal fin; body covered with imbedded scales ending in one or two sharp points. Similar fish: white marlin, T. albidus (white has rounded dorsal at front end, rounded tip of pectoral and anal fins, and spots on the dorsal fin). Normally found: OFFSHORE, a bluewater fish. Size: largest of the Atlantic marlins, common to 11 feet, known to exceed 2,000 pounds. Remarks: all of trophy size are females; males do not exceed 300 pounds; make trans-Atlantic migrations; spawning procedures unknown; feeds on squid and pelagic fishes, including blackfin tuna and frigate mackerel.

Blue Runner

Color light olive to bluish green above, silvery gray to golden below; frequently black spot on operculum; readily distinguished from crevalle jack by lack of a dark blotch on the pectoral fin; tail tips blackish. Similar fish: bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix; other Caranx. Normally found: juveniles found OFFSHORE; adults NEARSHORE in schools, but something ranging INSHORE as well. Size: usually less than 1 pound (11 inches). Remarks: matures by 9 to 10 inches; spawns OFFSHORE from January through August; young form schools associated with floating objects, and have been observed living inside the bell of jellyfish; adults feed on fish, shrimp, and squid.

Bluefish

Color blue or greenish blue on back, sides silvery; mouth large; teeth prominent, sharp, and compressed; dorsal and anal fins nearly the same size; scales small; lateral line almost straight. Similar fish: blue runner, C. crysos. Normally found: young usually INSHORE spring and summer, moving OFFSHORE to join adults fall and winter; strong migration of northeast Atlantic stock to Florida east coast in winter. Size: most west coast catches under 3 pounds, much larger on east coast. Remarks: travels in large schools, following schools of baitfish; cannibalistic; all members of a given school about the same size; spawning occurs OFFSHORE in spring and summer.

Bonnethead Shark

Broadly widened head in the shape of a shovel; only slight indentation of anal fin; front of head not notched at midline; gray or grayish-brown in color. Similar fish: other hammerhead sharks. Normally found: INSHORE species found in bays and estuaries. Size: commonly 3 to 4 feet. Remarks: matures at about 3 feet in length and bears 6 to 12 young at a time; feeds chiefly on crabs and other crustaceans.

Cero (Cero Mackerel)

Color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery; yellow spots forming lines above and below a bronze stripe from pectoral fin to base of the tail; front of first dorsal is bluish black; lateral line curves gradually to base of caudal fin. Similar fish: Spanish mackerel, S. maculatus; king mackerel, S. cavalla. Normally found: NEARSHORE and OFFHSORE fish occurring mainly in south Florida, especially over coral reefs and wrecks. Size: common to 5 pounds. Remarks: unlike other mackerels, does not stray far from south Florida waters; spawns OFFSHSORE in mid summer; feeds on small fish and squid.

Cobia (Ling)

Long, slim fish with broad depressed head; lower jaw projects past upper jaw; dark lateral stripe extends through eye to tail; first dorsal fin comprised of 7 to 9 free spines; when young, has conspicuous alternating black and white horizontal stripes. Similar fish: remora, Eceneis naucrates. Normally found: both INSHORE and NEARSHORE inhabitating inlets, bays, and among mangroves; frequently seen around buoys, pilings, and wrecks. Size: common to 30 pounds. Remarks: spawns in spring and early summer; feeds on crabs, squid, and small fish.

Common Snook

Distinct black lateral line; high, divided dorsal fin; sloping forehead; large mouth, protruding lower jaw; grows much larger than other snooks; pelvic fin yellow. Similar fish: other Centropomus. Normally found: from central Florida south, usually INSHORE in coastal and brackish waters, along mangrove shorelines, seawalls, and bridges; also on reefs and pilings. Size: most catches 5 to 8 pounds. Remarks: spawns primarily in summer; cannot tolerate water temperatures below 60 degrees F; can tolerate wholly fresh or saltwater; schools along shore and in passes during spawning season; feeds on fish and larger crustaceans.

Crevalle Jack

Color bluish-green to greenish-gold back and silvery or yellowish belly; soft dorsal and anal fins almost identical in size; prominent black spot on operculum (gill cover); black spot at the base of each pectoral fin; no scales on throat. Similar fish: other Caranx. Normally found: common to both INSHORE waters and the open sea. Size: usually 3 to 5 pounds. Remarks: tolerates a wide range of salinities; schools corner a pod of baitfish at the surface and feed with commotion that can be seen for great distances; feeds mainly on small fish; peak spawning occurs OFFSHORE from March through September.

Cubera Snapper

Color dark brown or gray, may have a reddish tinge; broad-based triangular tooth patch on roof of mouth without a posterior extension; despite its specific name, which translates to “blue-fin,” the fins have only a slight tinge of blue; canine teeth in both jaws very strong; one pair of canines enlarged and visible even when mouth is closed. Similar fish: gray snapper, L. griseus (gray snapper has anchor shaped tooth patch on roof of mouth); other snappers. Normally found: juveniles INSHORE in grass beds; adults OFFHORE or NEARSHORE over wrecks, reefs, and ledges. Size: common to 40 pounds. Remarks: the largest of the snappers, ranging to 125 pounds; not common anywhere in its range; feeds on fishes and larger crustaceans; in the Keys, spawns during later summer.

Dolphin

Bright greenish blue above, yellow on sides, with capability of flashing purple, chartreuse, and a wide range of other colors; body tapers sharply from head to tail; irregular blue or golden blotches scattered over sides; anterior profile of head on adult males is nearly vertical; head of females more sloping; the single dark dorsal fin extends from just behind the head to the tail; anal fin margin concave and extending to tail. Similar fish: pompano dolphin, C. equisetis; the pompano dolphin has squarish tooth patch on tongue (oval tooth patch on dolphin) and fewer dorsal rays (48 to 55 vs. 55 to 65 on dolphin). Normally found: OFFSHORE in warm waters. Size: common to 30 pounds. Remarks: one of the fastest-growing fish, thought to live no more than 5 years; swimming speed estimated at 50 knots; spawns in warm oceanic currents throughout much of the year; young found in sargassum weed; feeds on flying fish and squid.

Florida Pompano

Greenish gray on back, shading to silvery sides; fish in dark waters showing yellow on throat, pelvic, and anal fins;deep flattened body with small mouth; no scutes;22 to 27 soft dorsal rays; 20 to 23 soft anal rays;origin of anal fin slightly behind origin of second dorsal. Similar fish: permit, T. falcatus; palometa, T. goodei; the permit is deeper bodied; dorsal body profile not strongly angled at insertion of second dorsal fin; pompano rarely grow larger than 6 pounds, permit common to 40 pounds. Normally found: INSHORE and NEARSHORE waters, especially along sandy beaches, along oyster bars, and over grassbeds, often in turbid water; may be found in water as deep as 130 feet. Size: usually less than 3 pounds. Remarks: spawns OFFSHORE between March and September; feeds on mollusks and crustaceans, especially sand fleas; local movements are influenced by the tide, and seasonal movements are influenced by temperature.

Gafftopsail Catfish

Bluish above; silvery below; dorsal and pectoral fins with long, fleshy filaments on spines; barbel at corner of mouth flattened, band like, and very elongate, sometimes reaching anal fin; only 2 barbels on chin. Size: to 60 cm (2 ft.) and 2.5 kg (5 to 6 lbs.). Normally found: continental waters; enters brackish waters; usually less common than the hardhead catfish. Remarks: commonly caught by anglers along bridges, piers, and catwalks; a good food fish, but not much used.

Gag Grouper

Brownish gray in color with dark worm-like markings on sides; strong serrated spur at bottom margin of preopercle, less noticeable in large specimens; fins dark, with anal and caudal having white margin; often confused with black grouper; most noticeable differences are brassy spots on black grouper; tail of gag is slightly concave, black grouper’s tail is square; gag has white margin on anal and caudal fins, black does not; under 10 pounds, gag’s spur on preopercle is distinctive, where black is gently rounded. Similar fish: black grouper, M. bonaci. Normally found: adults OFFSHORE over rocks and reefs; juveniles occur in seagrass beds INSHORE. Size: common to 25 pounds. Remarks: forms spawning aggregations in water no shallower than 120 feet in Middle Grounds area, January through March; current research to identify similar aggregations off the Atlantic coast is ongoing; young gags are predominantly female, transforming into males as they grow larger; feeds on fish and squid.