Spot croaker
Encyclopedia
The spot croaker or spot is a small saltwater fish. The species inhabits estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 and coastal waters along the eastern coast of United States, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.
The spot derives its name from the prominent dark spot behind each gill
Gill
A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...

. It is the only species in the genus Leiostomus. Spot are frequently caught by recreational anglers and make excellent table fare. Their diet consists largely of organic detritus
Detritus
Detritus is a biological term used to describe dead or waste organic material.Detritus may also refer to:* Detritus , a geological term used to describe the particles of rock produced by weathering...

, small crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...

s, and worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...

s. Bloodworms are the ideal bait when fishing for spot.

The community of Hampstead, North Carolina
Hampstead, North Carolina
Hampstead is an unincorporated community in Pender County, North Carolina, United States. It is located between Wilmington and Jacksonville on U.S. Route 17...

 hosts the North Carolina Spot Festival the last weekend of September to honor the spot fish.

Naming and taxonomy

In almost every common name for the spot croaker there is a reference to the darkened "spot" above the gill cover of the mature individuals. The croaker part of the name comes from the croaking sound that they make. The name croaker in spot croaker comes from the loud croaking sound that they produce by vibrating its swim bladder. The spot croaker is called a spot croaker or simply a spot by most countries that have a coastline within the spot croakers natural range.

The genus Leiostomus belongs to the family Sciaenidae. This family contains 270 species from 70 genera that live in fresh, brackish, and marine water environments. All members of the genus Leiostomus carry either croaker or drum of some sort. This is because of the croaking sound that they produce.

Description

The spot croaker is a deep-bodied flat fish with an arched back. A large black spot is set above the upper edge of the gill cover. Their body color is gray-blue dorsally, fading to yellow ventrally. It also has a set of 12–15 darker streaks that run forward diagonally from the dorsal surface to about the middle of its body. These streaks often fade with age. The fins are pale yellow in color. The head is blunt with a small mouth. The upper jawbone extends to approximately the middle of the eye.
There are no teeth in the lower jaw. The dorsal fin is almost continuous, with a dip separating the stiff dorsal spines from the soft rays. There are 9-11 dorsal spines, and 29–35 soft rays. The anal fin has 2 spines and 12–13 rays. The caudal area is moderately deep, and the caudal fin is notched. A large black spot is set above the upper edge of the gill cover.

Life cycle

Spot croakers populate the area along the Atlantic coast in both estuarine and coastal waters from Maine to Florida, the highest concentration pf spot croakers are between the Chesapeake Bay and South Carolina. spot croakers migrate seasonally, staying in bays and estuaries in the spring, until late summer when the move offshore to spawn. Spot croakers mature around the age of two or three,and grow seven to eight inches in legth. They can live up to six years, although fish older than four are rare. Spawning takes place offshore from fall to early spring the young spot croakers live in low salinity tidal creeks until they develop into juveniles. As spot mature, they migrate toward higher salinity areas. Those that summered in the northern portion of their range also move south in the autumn. Spot croakers are bottom feeders and their diet consists of worms, mollusks, and small crustaceans. Predators of the spot croaker include striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...

, weakfish
Weakfish
The weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, is a marine fish of the drum family Sciaenidae.The head and back of this fish are dark brown in color with a greenish tinge. The sides have a faint silvery hue with dusky specks, and the belly is white. The origin of its name is based on the weakness of the mouth...

, summer flounder
Summer flounder
The Summer Flounder is a marine flatfish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean off the East coast of the United States and Canada. It is especially abundant in waters from North Carolina to Massachusetts.-Description:...

, bluefish
Bluefish
The bluefish , called tailor in Australia, is a species of popular marine gamefish found in all climates. It is the sole species of the Pomatomidae family....

, and various species of shark

Management

The short lifespan of spot makes their year to year fishing take fluctuate greatly. However, there is not a lot of information on the population of the species, so it cannot be concluded whether or not they are overfished, as well as the general health of the species. Until more information becomes available on the species, the management of spot will continue to be minimal in the regulations set forth.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK