Transcript Saltwater Fish Species Identification - Slideshow.pptx

SALTWATER FISH SPECIES
IDENTIFICATION
#8985-D
Table of Contents
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Introduction
Classifying Fish
Review of External Anatomy
Game Fish Species
Non-Game Fish Species
Introduction
• Of the nearly 500 fish species in the Gulf of
Mexico, about 100 are the target of anglers and
only 12 are classified as game fish.
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Saltwater game fish may or may not have any
food value.
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As with other plants and animals, threatened or
endangered species are excluded.
• Estuaries are important coastal areas.
• These are areas where tidal water and freshwater
will mix.
• Over 95 percent of all aquatic species in and
along the Gulf depend on estuaries for some part
of their life cycle.
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Management of saltwater species is more than
setting bag limits.
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Management depends on maintaining the health
and productivity of coastal estuaries.
Classifying Fish
• There are several ways to classify saltwater fish.
• One way is to simply classify them as game fish or
non-game fish.
Secondly, they can be classified using the following
categories:
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Reef fishes
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Rock fishes
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Bottom fishes
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Surface fishes
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Migratory types
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Non-migratory fishes
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Warm water fishes
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Cold water fishes
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Light tackle types
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Heavy tackle types
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Commercial types
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A third method for classifying fish is as
cartilaginous fishes or bony fishes.
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The skeleton of cartilaginous fish is made up of
cartilage, which is not true bone.
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Cartilaginous fishes include sharks, skates, and
rays.
• Bony fish make up 95 percent of all know fish
species.
• Their skeleton is made up of true bone material.
For this lesson, saltwater fish will be placed into one
of three ecological groupings:
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Littoral fish;
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Reef fish; and
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Pelagic fish.
Littoral fish are inshore species which include the
following:
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Red drum (redfish)
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Tarpon
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Speckled trout
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Bull shark
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Southern flounder
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Sheepshead
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Hardhead catfish
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Atlantic stingray
Reef fish, which make up the second group, can be
found around natural or artificial reefs.
• Two species included in this group are the
jewfish and red snapper.
Pelagic fish are offshore migratory species, which live
in the open waters of the Gulf.
These species are included in this third group.
• Wahoo
• Cobia
• Spanish mackerel
• Black-fin tuna
• Blue marlin
• White marlin
Review of External Anatomy
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Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
1.
First Dorsal Fin
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Pelvic Fin (paired)
5. ______________
2.
Pectoral Fin (paired)
6. ______________
3.
Second Dorsal Fin
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Caudal or Tail Fin
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4.
Anal Fin
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Snout
7. ______________
Lateral Line
8. ______________
Game Fish Species
• Texas Parks and Wildlife identifies the following
species as saltwater game fish and controls their
harvest.
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Blue Marlin
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Sharks
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Broadbill swordfish
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Snook
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Cobia
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Spanish mackerel
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King mackerel
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Spotted sea trout
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Longbill spearfish
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Tarpon
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Red drum (redfish)
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Wahoo
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Sailfish
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White Marlin
Blue Marlin
Makaira nigricans
• The blue marlin is the largest of the marlins and
white marlin is somewhat smaller.
• The blue marlin is deep cobalt blue on top
shading to silvery-white underneath.
• The dorsal, pectoral and anal fins are pointed.
White Marlin
Tetrapterus albidus
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The white marlin is actually a dark blue to
chocolate brown on top shading down to silvery
white underneath.
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The tip of the dorsal fin and the first anal fin are
rounded.
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The white marlin’s dorsal fin has noticeable
spots, whereas the blue marlin’s dorsal fin has
no spots.
Broadbill Swordfish
Xiphias gladius
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The broadbill swordfish is found in the Gulf of
Mexico, but more commonly in the Atlantic
Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
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It is the only billfish with a rigid dorsal fin.
Cobia (ling)
Rachycentron canadum
• The cobia, or ling, often lingers around floating
objects, including anchored boats.
• It is darker brown on the dorsal side and silvery
white on the ventral side.
• Eight to nine free spike-like spines are in front of
the long, soft dorsal fin.
King Mackerel
Scomberomorous cavalla
• The king mackerel is another popular game fish.
• It often feeds along the blue-water line in the Gulf.
• It is an iridescent bluish-green on the back with
silvery sides.
• Indistinct bars or spots are on its side.
IMS
Longbill Spearfish
Tetrapturus pfluegeri
• The longbill spearfish is the least common and
smaller species of the spearfish.
• Longbill spearfish prefer deep waters.
• They have a dark blue body that shades to silverywhite underneath.
Red Drum (redfish)
Sciaenops ocellatus
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The red drum is commonly known as the redfish
and is recognized by the spot or spots on the
upper base of its tail.
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The red drum’s color ranges from silver to bronze
and the fins are grayish-silver.
Picture by Duane Raver courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus
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The sailfish is named for its prominent sail structure
that is its dorsal fin.
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They can swim at speeds of up to 50 knots.
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The body of the sailfish is dark blue on top, brownblue laterally, and has a silvery-white underbelly.
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Sharks
• Sharks are identified as game fish and are the
ultimate predator and scavenger.
• The Gulf of Mexico is the territory of many shark
species.
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This presentation discusses the following:
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Bonnethead shark
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Sandbar shark
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Scalloped hammerhead
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Shortfin mako
Bonnethead Shark
Sphyrna tiburo
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The bonnethead shark is a member of the
hammerhead family.
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Its head shape is similar to a shovel.
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The color of the bonnethead shark is gray or
grayish-brown.
Sandbar Shark
Carcharhinus plumbeus
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The sandbar shark is as much a scavenger as it is a
predator.
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It has a broadly rounded snout., a very high,
triangular-shaped first dorsal fin, and grows to a
length of six feet.
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It is brown or gray in color with a white underside.
Scalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna tiburo
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The scalloped hammerhead has a flattened head
with eyes that are located on the sides of extended
hammer-like lobes.
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The color is gray to olive with a white underbelly
and a black tip on the pectoral fins.
Shortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrichus
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The shortfin mako is often mistaken for a great
white shark.
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It feeds on tuna, sardines, and mackerel. It has
been known to attack surfers and swimmers.
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The shortfin mako has a deep blue dorsal side and
a white underside. It has a sharply pointed snout.
Snook
• Snook are more common to Florida waters, but
still are Gulf species.
• There are several species, including the common
snook, swordspine snook, tarpon snook, and fat
snook.
• All but the fat snook have a prominent black
lateral line that extends through the tail.
Common Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
The common snook is the largest of the snook
species, ranging from five to eight pounds in
weight.
Spanish Mackerel
Scomberomorus maculatus
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The spanish mackerel is a schooling fish that
rarely enters coastal bays.
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It is a blue or blue-green on its dorsal side and
shades to silver ventrally.
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Orange-brown spots are dispersed laterally.
Spotted Sea Trout (Speckled Trout)
Cynoscion nebulosus
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The spotted sea trout is a popular saltwater bay
fish.
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Its back is a dark grayish-blue that shades to a
silvery bottom.
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Dark spots are present on the upper sides,
dorsal fin, and tail.
Picture by Duane Raver courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Tarpon
Megalups antlanticus
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The tarpon is known for its exciting display of
high leaps and vigorous shaking of the tail when
hooked.
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It is a brilliant silver color with large flat scales.
Wahoo
Acanthocybium solanderi
• Wahoo is a mackerel and is usually a solitary
feeder.
• It is very colorful, ranging from dark blue dorsally,
to greenish-orange sides, to silver underbelly.
Non-Game Fish Species
• All non-game fish species are not listed by
TP&WD.
• Threatened and endangered species are excluded
from the non-game fish listing.
• Non-game does not mean that the fish do not
have food or sport value.
• TP&WD simply regulates non-game fish
differently than game species.
Of the more than 150 species regulated by TP&WD,
this presentation identifies 12 of the more popular
non-game species.
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Atlantic croaker
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Dolphin fish
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Atlantic stingray
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Hardhead catfish
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Black drum
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Jewfish
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Black-fin tuna
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Red snapper
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Black sea bass
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Sheepshead
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Crevalle jack
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Southern flounder
Atlantic Croaker
Micropoginias undulates
• The Atlantic croaker is a drum species. They move
offshore in the winter to estuaries and bays in the
spring, summer, and fall.
• It is silver-gray or bronze with dark oblique wavy bars
or lines.
• It is iridescent mainly on the head.
Atlantic Stingray
Dasyatis sabina
• The Atlantic stingray carries a barb on the base of
its tail.
• The barb can easily penetrate and infect human
tissue.
• The Atlantic stingray is brownish color on the
dorsal side to lighter edges and white color
underneath.
Black Drum
Pogonias cromis
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The black drum can easily reach 30 pounds and is
the largest member of the drum family.
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It is a bottom dweller that has a gray or black
body and large scales.
Black-fin Tuna
Thunnus atlanticus
• Black-fin tuna live and move freely in the open
Gulf and weigh from 10 to 20 pounds.
• They have a dark blue dorsal side that shades to
silver below.
• Vertical bars and dots are located on the sides
under the long pectoral fins.
Black Sea Bass
Centropristis striata
• The black sea bass is not to be confused with the
grouper or Jew fish.
• This fish is found around jetties and reefs.
• It is dark brown to black color and its dorsal fin has
rows and strips of white on black.
Crevalle Jack
Caranx hippos
• The crevalle jack is another species that travels easily
inshore and in open water.
• They feed in schools which can be seen on the
surface a great distance.
• It is bluish-green to greenish-gold on the back and
silvery to yellowish on the belly.
• It has a prominent black spot on the gill cover.
Dolphin Fish
Coryphaena hippurus
• The dolphin fish is not to be confused with the
bottle-nosed dolphin, which is a mammal.
• It has a blunt head.
• The dolphin fish is greenish blue on top with yellow
on the sides and can display a wide range of other
colors.
• The dorsal fin extends from head to tail.
Photo by Columbus H. Brown courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hardhead Catfish
Arius felis
• The hardhead catfish is more of a nuisance
species and has the same spines on the back and
sides as the freshwater species.
• It is dark gray on the back and shades to a silverywhite beneath.
Jewfish
Epinephelus itagara
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Jewfish can grow to weights that reach and even
exceed 400 to 500 pounds.
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Spear fishing enthusiasts often seek this species.
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Its dark to chocolate-brown color has faint
blotches.
Red Snapper
Lutjanus campechanus
• The red snapper is an excellent fish to eat.
• It has a subterminal mouth and a dark spot on the
base of its tail.
• The red snapper is a deep rosy-red color with a
dark fringe around the dorsal and caudal fins.
IMS
Sheepshead
Archosargus probatoce-phalus
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The sheepshead is also known as the “convict fish”
due to its distinctive vertical black and white bars.
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They are common around oyster beds, pilings,
jetties, and reefs.
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Sharp spines and gill covers make handling the
sheepshead difficult.
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Southern Flounder
Paralichthys lethostigma
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The southern flounder is a flat fish with both eyes
on the upper side.
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Gigging is a popular method of harvesting flounder,
but they also will take a bait or lure.
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Color varies from dark olive to lighter brown on the
upper side and white on the underside.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Reproduction or redistribution of all, or part, of this
presentation without written permission is prohibited.
Instructional Materials Service
Texas A&M University
2588 TAMUS
College Station, Texas 77843-2588
http://www-ims.tamu.edu
2006