Black seabass
The
Black Seabass,
Centropristis striata, is an
oceanic fish, also known as
sea bass and
blackfish.
Systematics:
Off New Jersey, USA
It inhabits the coasts from Maine to NE Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. In contrast to the Striped Bass Morone saxatilis, it is strictly confined to salt water, at depths from about a meter to the 130 m line.
It appears off New Jersey in the first weeks of May, withdrawing in late October or early November, and wintering offshore at 55 to 130 m at temperatures above 8° C. In summer it is most abundant at less than 37 m. Its habitat is rocky sea bottom in shallow water and rock jetties. It is often found around wrecks and pilings.
The sea bass spawns when it is mature, at 19 cm, in middle of May to end of June. The eggs, 0.95 mm in diameter, are buoyant and their development time is 1.6 days at 23° C. The maximum size of a sea bass is 50 cm, weighing 4.3 kg.
This sea bass is a bottom feeder on crab, bluecrab, juvenile lobster, shrimp, mollusks, small fish, herring, menhaden and squid.
Its color varies, but it is more or less mottled, with a belly only slightly paler than its sides. The male is bluish black except for white areas on the head and edges of the fins.
Diagnostic features
- the spiny and soft ray portions of dorsalis are continuous, so there is only one long fin instead of two short separate ones as for the Wreck Fish Polyprion americanus, Scup Stenotomus chrysops, Rose Fish Sebastes marinus, Cunner Tautogolabrus adspersus, Tautog or Striped Bass Morone saxatilis
- rounded caudalis and pectoralia, short but high analis
- compared to a tautog or cunner, its mouth is much larger, also the caudalis, pectoralia, and soft portion (11 rays) of dorsalis as long as spiny portion
- compared to a wreck fish, its scales are much larger, the head outline and gill cover are smooth, and the caudalis is rounded at the edges
- it is stout-bodied, three times taller than long (without caudalis), and has a high back, flat topped head, moderately pointed snout, large oblique mouth, eye set up high (not as high as in the above image due to its slightly oblique perspective), and one sharp flat spine near the caudal end of the operculum
- the dorsalis originates at the anterior of the caudal end of the operculum, the soft portion of the dorsalis is more tall than long, the caudalis is rounded and in adults it is an elongated upper ray, the analis originates below soft portion of the dorsalis, which it resembles in its rounded shape and being more tall than long
- the pectoralia is very long nearly towards the analis, rounded (best fieldmark), the ventralia is very large, originate posterior of pectoralia (whereas slightly caudate in Scup, Rose Fish, Cunner and Tautog, below in Wreck Fish)
- scales are very large but it is naked at the head with adult males developing fatty bumps in front of the dorsalis
It often rests stationary or cruises slowly around structures. It occasionally rests on the bottom or other structures, staying either head-down or head-up. It enters the smallest corners and caves with a body angle above ground often ca. 40° down. The dorsalis is normally folded close to the body, and it is only spread out as an aggressive posture reaction to other sea bass.
International names
External links
