Common Name
Weakfish
Year Described
Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X; 1, 25-29
Anal Fin: II, 11-13
Pectoral Fin:
Gill Rakers: 14-17 (first arch)
Color
Body gray to olive green above and grading to silvery white on the belly. Numerous black spots and speckles on scales often forming oblique lines above lateral line. Dorsal fin and caudal fin dusky to yellowish. Pelvic, pectoral, and anal fins yellow to orange. Inside pf opercular flap black.
Size
Maximum size to 98cm TL.
Habitat
Coastal waters (1-26m) over soft bottoms. Common in the surf zone.
Range
Nova Scotia to SW Florida (continental coast only).
References
Chao, N.L. 2002. Sciaenidae (pp. 1583-1653). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO of the U.N., Rome.