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-- D r u m , f r e s h - w a t e r --
click on the question number for the answer |
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| Q 1. | ||
| What is the best time of the year to catch channel bass and what is the best bait to use for them? |
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| Q 2. | ||
| How does the drumfish make its booming noise? |
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| Q 3. | ||
| Is the drumfish edible? |
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| Q 4. | ||
| What species of fish is correctly called “kingfish”? |
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| Q 5. | ||
| How does a croaker make the noise for which it is named? |
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| Q 6. | ||
| Is the black drum in both the Mississippi river and the Gulf of Mexico? The freshwater drum I've caught in the Mississippi and our black drum look very similar. |
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| Q 7. | ||
| What is the mechanism that enables croakers or drums to produce sounds? |
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| Q 8. | ||
| When boating on the Indian River last winter, I was kept awake at times by a deep, booming sound apparently originating under the boat. I have inquired locally, but no one seemed to know the cause. Can you help me? |
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| Q 9. | ||
| I've talked to fishermen and even workers at a fish company and they say they have never seen any roe from a redfish (channel bass). Can you tell me why this is? |
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| Q 10. | ||
| Can you give me some information on the habits of the channel bass? Also, I am enclosing scales which were taken from an 18-pound, roe-bearing fish. Can you tell how old the fish was from them? This fish is the smallest roe-bearing fish I have caught and I had been led to believe that channel bass never spawn until they reach a mature weight of 20-pounds. |
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| Q 11. | ||
| One of the distinguishing marks of a redfish (channel bass) is the black spot on the tail. Why do some redfish have one black spot and others two spots? |
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| Q 12. | ||
| Black drum varying in size from six to forty pounds come into the rivers in and around St. Augustine to spawn between February and April. Where do they come from, and where do they go when they leave the river? |
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| Q 13. | ||
| Could you tell me something about the croaker and the salinity of the waters in which it is normally found? I have been told it is most often observed in brackish water or in bays and estuaries. |
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| Q 14. | ||
| A short time ago, an article appeared in a local newspaper, headlined, “A New Champion Spotted Redfish”, referring to the red drum or channel bass, known locally as the “redfish”. The article described a redfish with seventy-nine distinct spots on one side and fifty-two on the other, for a total of 131 spots. The fish weighed six pounds. This species has been caught in this area for over a century, and is second only in commercial value, to the spotted seatrout, and fishermen who have fished here all their lives tell me that this condition was never head of until recently, when two heavily spotted fish were taken. Many have been taken with six or eight spots, perhaps even a dozen, but never a hundred. Is there any scientific explanation for this condition? Or are these fish merely biological freaks? |
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| Q 15. | ||
| Can you discuss the differences, if any, among the large black drum which comes into our bays and rivers during March and April, the smaller striped drum which is around the entire year, and the so-called red drum of the Jersey Coast? |
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| Q 16. | ||
| A 55-pound black drum was taken recently by a fisherman off Long Island, New York. We have considered the black drum to be a southern species that is not normally taken here. How often has this species been known to travel so far north? |
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| Q 17. | ||
| My family and I would like help in identifying a fish we saw this winter off the southwest coast of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, while snorkeling. It was about 8 inches long with a very peculiar high, narrow and back-curving dorsal fin. This fin was colored with alternating vertical black and white stripes. The forward portion of the body was striped horizontally in the same manner, and the rear portion was speckled black and white. I have been unable to find either a picture or a written description of it. Could you identify it for us, and also recommend to us an authoritative book on reef-dwelling fish? |
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| Q 18. | ||
| Can you tell me something about the sounds made by the drum fish? Have they been recorded? When and why are they made? |
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| Q 19. | ||
| While fishing in Delaware Bay recently, my brother and I were surprised to hear faint staccato sounds lasting about 2 seconds. They were similar to those made by a woodpecker on a dead tree. We were drifting up the bay and the sound was heard regularly in varying depths of water. As the water got shallower, we heard the sound in two different pitches, with the lower tone being followed very shortly by one of a slightly higher pitch. We would appreciate your opinion as to what sort of marine animal may have produced these sounds. |
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| Q 20. | ||
| When cleaning black drum, Pogonias cromis, I always find wormlike objects infiltrating the flesh near the tail. They are white, 1/4 -inch thick and, under magnification, they appear waxy and sheathed. Are these objects parasites or bodies of fat? |
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| Q 21. | ||
| What is the function of the black spots on the sides and tail of the red drum, Sciaenops ocellata? Also, what is the average number of spots? |
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| Q 22. | ||
| While surf-fishing at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, I caught a red drum. A fellow fisherman showed me two pearl-like rocks in the fish's head and said that they were the fish's ears. Can you tell me what these rocks are called and how they function? |
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| Q 23. | ||
| Can you provide information about the corvina/corbina? Folks tell me that the only difference is in the spelling - English to Spanish. My taste buds disagree, however. |
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| Q 24. | ||
| I found two whitish pearl-like rocks inside the head of a red drum caught in waters off Hatteras, North Carolina. What are the objects, and what is their purpose? |
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| Q 25. | ||
| I have read that a redfish is identified by the presence of a black spot on the base of its tail. Over the years, I have caught two redfish that did not have a spot. Were these rare catches? |
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| Q&A 1. | What is the best time of the year to catch channel bass and what is the best bait to use for them? Wildwood, Florida |
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| The red drum, Sciaenops ocellatas, may best be taken on plugs or feathers, although shrimp, cut mullet, sand fleas, and crabs also make good bait for this fish. According to statistics available, channel bass may best be caught during the months of January and February, although fishing for them is generally good throughout the year. West Palm Beach is a good area for these fish on Florida's east coast, while on the west coast they may be taken abundantly from time to time from Marco to Tampa Bay, as well as in other areas. The range of the channel bass is from New York to Texas on sandy shores, although it is rare north of Virginia. |
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| Q&A 2. | How does the drumfish make its booming noise? |
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| Fishes of the Family Scianidae are commonly known as “drumfish” or “croakers” because of the ability of many of them to produce sounds ranging with the species from a grunt to a funny “booming”. This is accomplished by the highly modified swim bladder, which is capable of being operated as a resonating chamber for the production of sound. A few Scianids, such as the northern kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis, completely lack the swim bladder and are therefore incapable of producing a sound. |
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| Q&A 3. | Is the drumfish edible? Miami, Florida |
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| Yes. The drumfishes (family Scianidae) are a group of fishes of considerable economic importance and represented locally by a number of very different-looking species. The common drum, Pogonias cromis, reaches a weight of 146 pounds and may be recognized by its smoky black or gray stripes and the double row of hairlike barbells beneath the chin. Dishes receive their name from the muffled booming sound they are capable of producing by vibrating their elastic, air-filled swim bladders. |
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| Q&A 4. | What species of fish is correctly called “kingfish”? |
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| Two species of Atlantic coast fishes are commonly known as “kingfish”, though they are not in any way related. The northern kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis, is a member of the drumfish family and is closely related to the whiting. Although it sometimes is found in Florida, it is common only north of the Chesapeake Bay region. On the sandy shores where it is found it swims close to the bottom and is remarkable in lacking the swim bladder found in most other fishes. It feeds on shrimps, crabs, squids, worms, and young fish. The other kingfish, Scombermorus cavalla, is a member of the mackerel group and is more correctly called the king mackerel. This species grows to a length of five feet and a weight of 100 pounds and is considered to be a prime food fish. Its delicately flavored and richly textured flesh is most commonly sold in the form of kingfish steaks. |
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| Q&A 5. | How does a croaker make the noise for which it is named? Coral Gables, Florida |
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| The croaker, Micropogon undulatus, produces its characteristic noise not by the use of vocal cords, but by adaptation of various organs which are modified for sound production. In the croaker the apparatus consists of two long, thin muscles which are located on the sides of the air bladder. When these muscles are caused to vibrate rapidly a sound is produced. This sound is picked up and amplified by the air bladder into an audible croak which may be heard through six feet of water or more. Other sound producing mechanisms are found in many marine animals including the porpoise and toadfish. The porpoise makes a whistling noise by forcing air through its blow hole. In addition to this sound the porpoise produces another sound, similar to that when one rubs a fingernail over a balloon. The toad fish, Ospanus tau, produces a musical singing sound by use of a heart-shaped air bladder. These fish, can be heard singing to one another, possibly a love call - back and forth across an inlet. |
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| Q&A 6. | Is the black drum in both the Mississippi river and the Gulf of Mexico? The freshwater drum I've caught in the Mississippi and our black drum look very similar. St. Petersburg, Florida |
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| The black drum, Pogonias chromis, is very similar to the freshwater drum, or sheepshead, Aplodinotus grunniens. They are separate though closely related species. |
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| Q&A 7. | What is the mechanism that enables croakers or drums to produce sounds? Morehead City, North Carolina |
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| The croakers, drums, sea trouts and other fishes of the family Sciaenidae are well known for their ability to produce a loud croaking or drumming sound, either in or out of the water. The sound may often be heard 10 or 15 feet away, and is normally made by a special drumming muscle in conjunction with the air bladder, which acts as a resonator. In some species only the male can drum. This is true of the weakfishes (sea trouts) , spot, red drum and black drum. In the Atlantic croaker both male and female fish can make a sound. It is thought that the sound making may be related to spawning activities and perhaps serves to keep schools together. |
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| Q&A 8. | When boating on the Indian River last winter, I was kept awake at times by a deep, booming sound apparently originating under the boat. I have inquired locally, but no one seemed to know the cause. Can you help me? New York, New York |
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| The booming or drumming which you heard could have been the sound made by black drum, Pogonias cromis. The noise, produced by the air bladder and the pharyngeal teeth, is very loud, especially when heard on a still night. The drum is very common along the Florida coast and affords good sport for fishermen along both coasts. |
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| Q&A 9. | I've talked to fishermen and even workers at a fish company and they say they have never seen any roe from a redfish (channel bass). Can you tell me why this is? Fort Myers, Florida |
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| It is probable that the redfish do not mature sexually before they reach a length of from 25 to 30 inches. At this time they are about five years old. A few years ago “bull reds,” or males, were seen frequently, according to fishermen. Their habit of schooling during the spawning season made them easier to catch and may have been a factor in reducing their numbers. It may be also that the increased commercial development of the shoreline in Florida has had an additional effect on the inshore fishes here. It is difficult to isolate one factor as the cause of the diminution of a species. Investigations which may yield answers to this problem are in progress. |
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| Q&A 10. | Can you give me some information on the habits of the channel bass? Also, I am enclosing scales which were taken from an 18-pound, roe-bearing fish. Can you tell how old the fish was from them? This fish is the smallest roe-bearing fish I have caught and I had been led to believe that channel bass never spawn until they reach a mature weight of 20-pounds. Jacksonville, Florida |
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| Young red drum or channel bass are common on the weed beds in shallow water embayments, such as the Indian and Banana Rivers. They apparently move out to deeper or more open water when still quite small (about 10 inches) and the yearlings and older fish cruise along the coast, from the surf on out. The species is widely distributed in the Northern Gulf of Mexico as far west as Texas; on the east coast as far north as Chesapeake Bay, and stragglers reach Cape Cod. In North Carolina, they are most frequent from September to March. From the scales, the fish in question was in the 4-plus class, i.e., between 4 and 5 years old. Offhand, the statement that red drum (channel bass) do not spawn until they reach 20 pounds is substantiated by your remark that all other roe-bearers were larger. This weight should not be considered absolute. The statement should probably read approximately 20 pounds. Similarly, one can say that the red drum spawn for the first time in the 4-plus age group. Expect to find a few fishes spawning for the first time in both the 3-plus and 5-plus groups. Although red drum supposedly reach a length of 5 feet, and a weight of 83 pounds, it is probable that such large fish are few indeed. |
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| Q&A 11. | One of the distinguishing marks of a redfish (channel bass) is the black spot on the tail. Why do some redfish have one black spot and others two spots? Palmetto, Florida |
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| The variation that you described for the caudal spot on the red drum is not uncommon. While individuals of any given species of fish exhibit remarkably little variation in the sum total of their characteristics, occasional features, especially details of pigmentation, are apt to show wide individual variation. When the characteristic is one that tends to become smaller or disappear with age, the amount of variation is apt to increase. |
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| Q&A 12. | Black drum varying in size from six to forty pounds come into the rivers in and around St. Augustine to spawn between February and April. Where do they come from, and where do they go when they leave the river? St. Augustine, Florida |
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| It is doubtful if anyone has definite information on the movements of black drum, either where they originate or where they go when they leave the St. Augustine area. John Pearson, who in 1929 published considerable information on five important species of Sciaenidae found in the Gulf of Mexico, noted that the black drum came from the deeper waters of the bays (or possibly the Gulf itself) to the shallower areas of these bays to spawn. After the completion of spawning activities, there was a movement of black drum from the bays to the Gulf. Some informed fishermen and scientists along the east coast are convinced that the red drum or channel bass, a closely related species, spends the early winter months in warmer offshore waters and moves inshore, and then northward along the coast, in the spring. The black drum may follow a similar migratory pattern. |
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| Q&A 13. | Could you tell me something about the croaker and the salinity of the waters in which it is normally found? I have been told it is most often observed in brackish water or in bays and estuaries. Pensacola, Florida |
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| The croaker is in the family Sciaenidae, which includes all croakers and drums. In your area there may be as many as a dozen different fish belonging to this one family. Scientifically, the croaker is called Micropogon undalatus and is known along the east coast from New York to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas. One variety, called the golden croaker when it gets large, may reach a size of twenty inches. The salinity, or salt content, of open ocean water is about 35 parts of salt for every 1,000 parts of water. The croaker has been found in bays and estuaries where the salt content has been as low as 2 parts and as high as 36.7 parts per thousand. During a study conducted by Dr. Gordon Gunter in Texas, croakers were most often caught in areas where the salinity was below 15 parts per thousand. |
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| Q&A 14. | A short time ago, an article appeared in a local newspaper, headlined, “A New Champion Spotted Redfish”, referring to the red drum or channel bass, known locally as the “redfish”. The article described a redfish with seventy-nine distinct spots on one side and fifty-two on the other, for a total of 131 spots. The fish weighed six pounds. This species has been caught in this area for over a century, and is second only in commercial value, to the spotted seatrout, and fishermen who have fished here all their lives tell me that this condition was never head of until recently, when two heavily spotted fish were taken. Many have been taken with six or eight spots, perhaps even a dozen, but never a hundred. Is there any scientific explanation for this condition? Or are these fish merely biological freaks? Port Isabel, Texas |
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| The red drum fish characteristically has a black spot at the base of the tail toward the top of the caudal peduncle. However, it is common to find extra spots, both on the caudal base and on the sides of the body. These extra spots are part of the normal variation of the species. We have never heard of a redfish with so many spots as you have described. One with six or eight spots is not uncommon, but one with over a hundred is very unusual or, as you describe it, a “freak”! |
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| Q&A 15. | Can you discuss the differences, if any, among the large black drum which comes into our bays and rivers during March and April, the smaller striped drum which is around the entire year, and the so-called red drum of the Jersey Coast? St. Augustine Beach, Florida |
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| The red drum is an important food and sportfish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. It is popularly known as the redfish in Florida and as the channel bass along the Carolina coast. Redfish is an unfortunate name, since this is the name of an important New England commercial species of an entirely separate family of fishes. The so-called striped drum or banded drum is the young of the black drum. The younger individuals are common in the bays and estuaries when water temperatures are sufficiently high, whereas the large adults normally come inshore only a short time, and this is in connection with spawning. Another drum that is common in the St. Augustine region is the Atlantic croaker or hardhead. This species is striped also, but the stripes are narrow and run from head to tail. |
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| Q&A 16. | A 55-pound black drum was taken recently by a fisherman off Long Island, New York. We have considered the black drum to be a southern species that is not normally taken here. How often has this species been known to travel so far north? Brooklyn, New York |
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| The black drum is found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast as far north as Massachusetts. In 1964, 26,000 pounds of black drum were caught commercially in New Jersey. It is likely, however, that the occurrence of the black drum in New York waters is a seasonal phenomenon and occurs only in warm months. |
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| Q&A 17. | My family and I would like help in identifying a fish we saw this winter off the southwest coast of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, while snorkeling. It was about 8 inches long with a very peculiar high, narrow and back-curving dorsal fin. This fin was colored with alternating vertical black and white stripes. The forward portion of the body was striped horizontally in the same manner, and the rear portion was speckled black and white. I have been unable to find either a picture or a written description of it. Could you identify it for us, and also recommend to us an authoritative book on reef-dwelling fish? Rochester, New York |
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| The fish you describe is probably the spotted drum or spotted jackknife fish, Equetus punctatus. This is a reef dwelling species that occurs from northern South America through the Antilles to the Bahamas and southern Florida. It does not occur in large numbers anywhere, but seems to be more common in the Caribbean areas than in Florida. A comprehensive work on reef-dwelling fishes of the Bahamas by Bohlke and Chaplin is to be published late this year by Livingston Press. Living Fishes of the World by Herald (Doubleday) treats reef species, as do a number of general books. |
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| Q&A 18. | Can you tell me something about the sounds made by the drum fish? Have they been recorded? When and why are they made? Haddon Heights, New Jersey |
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| Sounds made by drums (Sciaenidae) have been recorded by Institute of Marines Sciences workers by means of the video-acoustic system established at Bimini, Bahamas. The sounds are heard when the sea is rough, never during calm weather. They usually begin about 8: 00 P.M., and continue into the early morning. It is believed that they are made by the sand drum, Umbrina coroides. The reasons for the sounds are not clearly understood. It is known, however, that the noise increases during the spawning season. In Chesapeake Bay in May and June the sounds, here made by a different species, begin to increase in the evening, reach their greatest intensity before midnight, and then quickly taper off until very little is heard. |
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| Q&A 19. | While fishing in Delaware Bay recently, my brother and I were surprised to hear faint staccato sounds lasting about 2 seconds. They were similar to those made by a woodpecker on a dead tree. We were drifting up the bay and the sound was heard regularly in varying depths of water. As the water got shallower, we heard the sound in two different pitches, with the lower tone being followed very shortly by one of a slightly higher pitch. We would appreciate your opinion as to what sort of marine animal may have produced these sounds. Greenville, Delaware |
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| The sound you heard is most likely that produced by the Chesapeake Bay croaker, Micropogon undulatus. This member of the drum family produces one of the loudest sounds known to be made by a fish. The sounds are the most common and loudest during the spawning season (midsummer) and at night. The different frequencies of sound that you observed resulted most likely from two or more different fishes of different sizes. Hearing these sounds through a boat bottom requires calm seas and, of course, being at the right place at the right time. The sound can easily be masked by background noises in even a light chop. |
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| Q&A 20. | When cleaning black drum, Pogonias cromis, I always find wormlike objects infiltrating the flesh near the tail. They are white, 1/4 -inch thick and, under magnification, they appear waxy and sheathed. Are these objects parasites or bodies of fat? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| The larval stage of the tapeworm, Poecilancistrium robustum, has been reported as a common parasite of the black drum, and the larvae are probably the wormlike objects that you have observed. The adult stage of these so-called “spaghetti worms” are found in the digestive tract of larger fishes, such as sharks. Although there are apparently no cases of the adult parasites being found in humans, care should be taken to thoroughly cook any fish before it is eaten. |
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| Q&A 21. | What is the function of the black spots on the sides and tail of the red drum, Sciaenops ocellata? Also, what is the average number of spots? Centreville, Alabama |
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| The red drum is recognized by its black spot on the upper section of the caudal peduncle just ahead of the tail fin. The number of spots on the tail is variable; usually there are one or two, but sometimes there are as many as eight or ten. The arrangement of the spots is a matter of chance, and sometimes the spots are absent. The spots may assist in species recognition for reproduction purposes, or serve as a visual sign in schooling. They may also act as a confusing stimulus, causing a predator to mistake them for eyes and attack the tail, and thereby allowing the red drum to escape unharmed. |
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| Q&A 22. | While surf-fishing at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, I caught a red drum. A fellow fisherman showed me two pearl-like rocks in the fish's head and said that they were the fish's ears. Can you tell me what these rocks are called and how they function? Ballmawr, New Jersey |
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| The pearl-like rocks that you describe are earbones, or otoliths, which are associated with orientation and balance. All fishes have them, although the appearance varies from clusters of small grains to ringed “pearls.” They are particularly well developed in cods and mackerels. Otoliths are composed of calcium and are often ringed. When viewed in crosssection, the number of rings can be used to estimate the age and growth of a particular fish (see “Tree Rings and Fish Scales,” Sea Frontiers, Vol. 13, No. 3, May-June, 1967). The otoliths are found near the base of the skull, just ahead of its attachment to the backbone. With a little practice, they are easily exposed by one of two methods, depending on the type of fish. One involves making a slice through the top of the skull from the neck forward and downward so that the brain is exposed. The otoliths are found by moving the brain aside and exposing the pockets of the inner ear. In the other method, the gill covers are pulled forward and a slit is made on the lower side of the skull, where two bulges mark the ear capsule. The otoliths are easily pulled from these slits. |
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| Q&A 23. | Can you provide information about the corvina/corbina? Folks tell me that the only difference is in the spelling - English to Spanish. My taste buds disagree, however. Laguna Miguel, California |
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| The California corbina, Menticirrhus undulatus, is a member of the drum family, Sciaenidae. It ranges from Point Conception to just north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California, and travels in small groups to depths of 45 feet. Spawning occurs offshore from June through September. This species has a single flesh barbel, or chinwhisker, on its lower jaw and has dusky gray-blue coloring on its sides and back. Its diet consists of small crustaceans, polychaete worms, and grunion eggs. It has been illegal to fish this species with nets, since 1909, or to buy or sell it, since 1915. Up to 38,000 California corbinas were caught yearly, however, in the early 1960’s by pier and surf fishermen. The shortfin corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis, is a member of the same family, along with the orangemouth corvina, C. xanthulus. The former is quite rare in shallow waters off California, and the latter is found in the Salton Sea where it was introduced from the Gulf of California. |
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| Q&A 24. | I found two whitish pearl-like rocks inside the head of a red drum caught in waters off Hatteras, North Carolina. What are the objects, and what is their purpose? Spartanburg, South Carolina |
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| The objects you found are ear bones, or otoliths. All bony fishes have them, although their appearance ranges from small sandlike grains to large ringed pearls. The exact shape and size of otoliths are usually characteristic of a species, and experts frequently can identify a fish by examining them. Fishes have three pairs of otoliths, although only one pair is usually large enough to be noticed. Those of arums are exceptionally large. Otoliths are associated with orientation, balance, and hearing in fishes. They are somewhat analogous to the bones of the inner ear in humans, being part of the equilibrium system. Otoliths generally consist of calcium carbonate in an organic matrix. They often have rings (visible under magnification), which reflect seasonal changes in growth and can be used to determine a fish’s age. |
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| Q&A 25. | I have read that a redfish is identified by the presence of a black spot on the base of its tail. Over the years, I have caught two redfish that did not have a spot. Were these rare catches? Daylana Beach, Florida |
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| Yes. A redfish without any spots is indeed rare. Most red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), commonly called redfish and/or channel bass, have one prominent spot on the upper section of the caudal peduncle just ahead of the tail. However, some red drum have eight to ten spots, and others, as you observed, have none. These pigmentation variations in individual fish within a population are normal. The red drum ranges in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Key West, Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida Bay along the coast to Vera Cruz, Mexico. Fished extensively at one time, this species currently is protected by numerous state and federal regulations enacted in recent years. For example, commercial and recreational harvesting of red drum are prohibited in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. In Florida, it’s illegal to buy or sell red drum caught in state waters. Florida recreational fishermen have a bag limit of one red drum per day no smaller than 18 inches and no longer than 17 inches in total length. The Florida recreational fishery also closes during March, April, and May. Fishermen should check with the local Marine Patrol, state Department of Natural Resources, or district office of the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine the latest regulations in their area. Laws regarding the red drum are subject to change. |
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Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Library
University of Miami, FL USA 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149 Phone: 305 421 4060 Fax: 305 421 9306 E-mail: libcirc@rsmas.miami.edu |
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