(Seriola zonata)
◎Small jack similar in body shape to the amberjack (streamlined with a deeply forked, crescent shaped tail, caudual peduncle has a keel without scutes, a short, rounded pectoral fin and a dark nuchal band); coloration is olive to dark amber on the back fading to silvery sides, although the fish has an overall light yellow or amber tinge; 6 prominent dark (often dark olive color) bars run down the sides of this fish.
◎Similar Fish: Greater Amberjack, Almaco Jack, Pilotfish; To differentiate among species, see Great Amberjack.
◎Size: up to 10 pounds; average size ranges from 1/2 ~ 2 pounds.
◎Streamlined body tapers from head to tail; finlets, which are yellow tinged by black, are present between dorsal and anal fins and the caudal fin; dorsal and anal fins tend to be yellow in color; pectoral fin is long, extending rearward just to the start of the second dorsal fin; coloration is dark blue on top fading along the sides to a white belly; first gill arch has 25 ~ 29 gillrakers; eye is larger relative to the size of the head than for either bluefin or yellowfin tuna.
◎Similar Fish: closely related and similar in appearance to Bluefin Tuna and Yellowfin Tuna; see descriptions of Bluefin Tuna and Yellowfin Tuna for distinguishing characteristics.
◎Size: up to 375 pounds; average size ranges from 100 ~ 250 pounds.
(Pogonias cromis)
◎Bronze, copper or grayish back, fading to a light colored belly; occassionally has a more silvery appearance; color fades after death to a grayish or grayish-green hue; high arched back gives most fish a “humpback” shape; 10 to 14 pairs of barbels are prominent under chin; caudal fin is square and pectoral fin comes to a pronounced point; juvenile fish (generally under 15 pounds) display 4 to 6 dark vertical bars, which fade in adults.
◎Similar Fish: closely related and similar in appearance to Red Drum; distinguishable by absence of ocellated spot or spots at the base of the tail (which are present on red drum), the presence of chin barbels, pointed pectoral fin, square caudal fin and “humpback” body shape. Juveniles are similar in appearance to sheepshead, which have 5 to 6 vertical bars on their sides; however,sheepshead lack chin barbels, have a significantly forked tail, a fully connected first and second dorsal fin (in black drum the first dorsal fin is distinct from second dorsal fin), and prominent teeth, which are absent in black drum.
◎Size: up to 120 pounds; average size is 20 ~ 70 pounds; occasionally, juvenile fish in the 6~? 16 inch range are common in Chesapeake Bay and estuarine waters.
((Sea Bass, Black Will) Centropristis striata)
◎Coloration is black to a very dark brown on the back and sides; the belly and fins also tend to be dark in color; females have a uniformly curved slope from the top of the back to the head, while large males have a pronounced hump forward of the dorsal fin; individual fish may exhibit a pronounced iridescent aquamarine to bluish coloration with some highlights of red in the area forward and below the dorsal fin, behind the head and especially on males on and around the hump, which may be associated with spawning activity; a long filament extends from the upper part of the caudal fin.
◎Size: up to 10 pounds; average size ranges from 1/2 ~ 3 pounds.
((Horse Mackerel) Thunnus thynnus)
◎Streamlined body tapering from head to tail; small finlets, usually tinged yellow, are present between dorsal and anal fins and the caudal fin; pectoral fin is short; coloration is dark blue to nearly black on top, fading along the sides with a white belly; often several series of small, very light-colored spots are present on the belly.
◎Similar Fish: closely related and similar in appearance to Yellowfin Tuna and Bigeye Tuna; distinguishable from both species by 1) short pectoral fin, which does not extend rearward on its body to the start of the second dorsal fin (pectoral fin extends at least this far on both yellowfin and bigeye tuna), and 2) the gillrakers on first gill arch (bluefin tuna have 34 ~43 gillrakers on arch, while yellowfins have 27 ~ 33 gillrakers and big-eyes have 25 ~ 29 gillrakers).
◎Size: up to 1400 pounds; average size ranges from 30 ~ 150 pounds.