Angler's Guide to Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico

By Mike Lane and Jerald Horst

A fisherman’s illustrated reference guide to 207 saltwater species.
 
This book is a treasure trove of pictures and information for recreational and commercial fishermen, or anyone who loves the outdoors. Since most anglers identify their fish by reviewing illustrations rather than using scientific keys, the authors have made fishing easier by providing superb illustrations and detailed diagnostics for fish identification.
 
A valuable, one-stop reference tool for everyday anglers, fisheries experts, biologists, and outdoors writers, this guide includes intensively researched information on 207 species of saltwater fish, essential data on each species’ habitat, identification, typical size, and food value.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 31, 2006
• ISBN: 9781455600328

Mike Lane

Magician Mike Lane has been performing magic professionally for over thirty years. He lives with his wife, Donna, and their two children, Daniel and Lindsay, in Staten Island, New York.

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PREFACE

This book was written under the premise that the more an angler understands his quarry, the more successful he will become in its pursuit and the more satisfaction he will receive from his sport.

This is also an attempt to produce a useful work for the biologist or writer who needs a fast but fairly detailed reference to fishes of interest to anglers. We make no pretense of including every species of fish in the Gulf of Mexico, although the sections on groupers, snappers, amberjacks, tunas, and billfish are comprehensive.

The fish families herein are arranged in phylogenetic order, with the primitive fish first and the most evolved fish last. Some order had to be established and this arrangement is followed more often than not in fisheries references.

Every effort was made to make the biological information scientifically accurate, while at the same time using conversational language for easy reading. Rather than bury explanations for technical words in a glossary, the authors have made liberal use of explanations, in parentheses and out, for words that may be difficult to understand.

It has been the experience of the authors that all anglers and almost all biologists will attempt to identify a fish by inspecting illustrations rather than use a scientific key involving many detailed choices. Accordingly, the authors have, for each species that can be confused with another species, listed these species and explained critical identification differences between them. For each species in the text, the accepted common name, the scientific name, and other local names are also provided.

ANGLER'S GUIDE TO FISHES OF THE GULF OF MEXICO

SPECIES ACCOUNTS

RHINCODONTIDAE

CARPET SHARKS

[graphic]

NURSE SHARK

Ginglymostoma cirratum

Found Gulfwide, although relatively uncommon in the northern and western Gulf. It is especially common in south Florida and the Florida Keys.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

This is one of the easiest sharks to identify, as it is the only shark in the Gulf with barbels (short whiskers) near its nostrils. Nurse sharks are sluggish bottomfish that spend much of the day lying motionless on the bottom. They prefer coral heads, caves, and other sheltered areas in shallow offshore waters.

At night they become very active. Their bodies are not designed for speed but rather for maneuverability in exploring the nooks and crannies of their habitat for food. Their rather inefficient tail provides poor propulsion. They swim using their entire bodies with an eel-like motion and can use their pectoral (side) fins almost like legs. Their preferred diet is invertebrates such as shrimp, crabs, lobsters, squid, sea urchins, and mollusks, but they will eat substantial numbers of fish, especially stingrays. Nurse sharks can use suction to feed. They place their thick lips around crevices and holes to create a seal, and by expanding their mouth cavity they can suck out smaller prey.

Both males and females mature at about 7 feet in length. Mating occurs in June-July and is not a gentle proposition. Several males will cooperate. One male will bite one of the female's pectoral fins and try to turn her on one side. A male will then insert a modified pelvic fin extension called a clasper into the female and fertilize her. Because of the number of males involved, females often have many scuffs and scars. The young take about 6 months to develop on their yolk sac inside the mother. Litters average 30-40 and the young are about 1 foot long at birth.

SIZE

Can reach 12 feet, although the average size is 7 to 10 feet in length.

FOOD VALUE

Good. Sharks retain urea in their bodies as part of their osmoregulatory process. If not properly cared for, sharks spoil very quickly after death and the flesh develops a wet diaper odor. Fortunately, urea is water soluble, and properly iced sharks make good to excellent tablefare. Ideally, sharks should be eviscerated before icing for best-quality flesh.

ALOPIIDAE

THRESHER SHARKS

[graphic]

THRESHER SHARK

Alopias vulpinus

Found Gulfwide, with adults usually in offshore waters, from the surface to 1,200 feet deep. Juveniles can be found in nearshore waters.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

This is the easiest of sharks to identify. Only it and its much less common relative, the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus, have huge, elongated tail fins. The bigeye thresher has an enormous upward-looking eye and a deep groove over each eye. Thresher sharks feed on small schooling fish species, which they bunch up and stun with blows from their tail. Because of this habit, thresher sharks are often hooked in the tail. These fish are occasionally seen leaping entirely clear of the water.

Males mature at about 10.5 feet in length and females at around 8.5 feet. A strange form of intra-uterine cannibalism, called oophagy, is known to occur in thresher sharks. A female retains her eggs until the first batch of embryos hatches inside her. These young sharks then feed on later batches of unfertilized eggs that the female continues to produce. Only 2 to 4 young survive to birth in each litter. The pups are quite large, averaging 48-60 inches long, and will grow 10-20 inches per year until adulthood.

Thresher sharks, bigeye thresher sharks, and all 5 members of the mackerel shark family—white, longfin mako, shortfin mako, porbeagle, and salmon sharks—have evolved a system to retain body heat generated by their working muscles. In other species of sharks this heat is radiated to the body surface and gills and lost to the environment. The system is a tangled-looking mass of veins and arteries called a rete mirable, or wonderful net. The arteries bring cold oxygenated blood from the gills to the rete mirable. The veins carry warmed, oxygen-depleted blood from the body. The veins and arteries pass very close to each other, with their blood flow in opposite directions. Therefore, some of the heat from the veins is transferred to the arterial blood and carried back into the body of the shark. As a result, the body temperature of such a shark can be as much as 24 degrees warmer than the sea water around it. An 18-degree rise in body temperature can triple the efficiency of fish's muscles. The heat also effectively warms the brain and eyes, allowing the shark to process sight much faster. As a tradeoff, however, warm-blooded sharks must consume much more food, perhaps as much as 10 times the food requirements of cold-blooded sharks.

SIZE

May reach 18-25 feet, but nearly half of that length is tail. The largest fish are over 1,000 pounds, but 500 pounds is more common.

FOOD VALUE

Good. See nurse shark entry for handling tips. Bigeye thresher sharks are a protected species.

LAMNIDAE

MACKEREL SHARKS

[graphic]

WHITE SHARK

Carcharodon carcharias

Other Names—Great White Shark. Man-eater, White Pointer

Prefers the waters above continental shelves rather than open ocean waters. It is found in all oceans, including the Gulf of Mexico, although it seems to prefer cooler waters to the tropical to subtropical waters of the Gulf. Research indicates that it is most likely to be found in the Gulf between January and April, when water temperatures are below 57 degrees. It tends to be found in the upper part of the water column, rarely over 750 feet deep. This is a protected species and is considered uncommon to rare everywhere.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

The white shark is a heavy-bodied but streamlined shark, usually slate gray above, although it may also be a slatey-brown. Its underside is dirty white and noticeably lighter than its back. The boundary between back and belly coloration is very sharp and defined. It has a very pointed nose and usually a black spot at the base of each pectoral fin. Unlike other sharks, in which the upper lobe of the tail fin is much larger than the lower lobe, all members of the mackerel shark family have homocercal tails, meaning the lobes are about equal size. These tuna-like tails allow white and mako sharks to cruise efficiently for long distances and still dash at high speeds after fast-moving and agile prey. The efficiency of the muscles of mackerel-family sharks is also enhanced by the sharks' ability to maintain a body temperature up to 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding water. Larger specimens are known to cross entire oceans in their travels.

It is a highly predaceous fish, eating a variety of other fish, including swift tunas, other sharks, seals, porpoises, and even sea turtles. White sharks have also been observed to scavenge the blubber from whale carcasses. Tooth shape in white sharks changes as the sharks grow larger. Smaller specimens have long, pointed teeth that are very efficient for preying on fish. Larger sharks have broader, triangular, more blade-like teeth, which are more efficient for cutting up larger prey. Males mature at about 10 feet in length. Females mature at 13-14 feet and bear living young that are nearly 4 feet long. Litter size is 5-10. Embryos grow inside the female by consuming later batches of unfertilized eggs produced by the female, a practice called oophagy. Little is known about mating, length of gestation, birth season, or birth area.

SIZE

The largest predaceous shark in the world, reaching over 2,500 pounds. The largest white shark on record was 21 feet long and weighed over 4,800 pounds, and larger specimens are thought to exist.

FOOD VALUE

None; it is a protected species.

[graphic]

SHORTFIN MAKO SHARK

hurus oxyrinchus

Other Names—Mako Shark

An open-ocean, blue-water species found throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It is usually a surface-water species but frequents deeper waters in the summer.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

In living specimens, the color may be a striking cobalt or metallic blue to a bluish-gray above. It is always snow white underneath. In adults the underside of the nose and the area around the mouth are distinctly white. This helps differentiate this species from the longfin mako, which is darkly colored in the same areas. Makos have long, slender, smooth-edged teeth, compared to the triangular, serrated teeth of other sharks. They have a sharply pointed nose. Mako sharks are swift swimmers and leap spectacularly when hooked. They develop speeds of over 20 miles per hour. Like white sharks and other members of the mackerel shark family, they have a larger proportion of red muscle to white muscle than other sharks and can maintain elevated body temperatures.

Also, like all other mackerel sharks, the mako cannot pump water over its gills but instead uses ram-jet ventilation. It must swim constantly to force water over its gills.

They feed on surface-dwelling fish, including mackerel, bluefin tuna, swordfish, and other sharks. Swordfish are formidable prey, and mako sharks often bear the scars of serious injuries inflicted on them by swordfish bills. Oophagy occurs in shortfin makos. Females retain their eggs in their bodies until they hatch. There, the pups grow by feeding on later batches of eggs produced by the female, until they are ready to be born. Litters are therefore small, typically 6-10. Gestation is estimated to be 15-18 months long and pups are 27-28 inches long at birth. Males mature at 6-7 feet in length and females at 9 feet. Both sexes mature between 4 and 6 years of age. Little is known about mating behavior in shortfin makos.

SIZE

Average size is 150-300 pounds, although fish over 12 feet and 1,250 pounds have been recorded. The largest fish are always females.

FOOD VALUE

Excellent. See nurse shark entry for handling tips.

[graphic]

LONGFIN MAKO SHARK

Isurus paucus

Found Gulfwide, although most common in the Straits of Florida, between Florida and Cuba. Like its close relative, the shortfin mako, it is an oceanic species but is more often caught at greater depths, 350-700 feet deep.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

Like the shortfin mako, and unlike other sharks, it has long, slender, smooth-edged teeth. It is generally dark blue to bluish-black above and off-white beneath. It may be differentiated from the shortfin mako by its larger eye and very much larger pectoral fins, which are almost as long as the head. Additionally, in adults the area under the snout and around the mouth is pigmented in the longfin mako and white in the shortfin mako.

Very little is known about the biology of this fish, as it was not identified until 1966. Because of its less muscular build and very large fins, it is thought to be slower than the shortfin mako. It is built similar to the pelagic (open-ocean) oceanic whitetip and blue sharks and may use similar habitats. It is assumed to be endothermic (warm-blooded) like the shortfin mako.

Litters are 2-8 and the young practice oophagy, consuming later-produced unfertilized eggs produced by the female. Pups are 3-4 feet long at birth. The food of this fish is presumably fish and squid.

SIZE

To at least 14 feet.

FOOD VALUE

None; it is a protected species.

CARCHARHINIDAE

REQUIEM SHARKS

[graphic]

SPINNER SHARK

Carcharhinus brevipinna

Other Names—Blacktip Shark

Found Gulfwide from Florida through most of Texas. This is a common fish of nearshore and coastal waters to moderate depths. It reaches its peak of abundance in the northern Gulf of Mexico in waters less than 300 feet deep. It is a migratory species, moving nearshore in the spring and summer to feed and reproduce. It avoids areas of low salinity.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

This shark is often misidentified as a blacktip shark because of the black tips on its fins. It may be differentiated from the blacktip shark by its anal fin, which has a black tip, while the blacktip shark's is white without a black tip. Color is gray to bronze above and white below.

Spinner sharks are very active fish, often making spinning leaps into the air while feeding on smaller fish below or after being hooked. It is an active feeder, slashing through schools offish while spinning lengthwise. While doing this it snaps in all directions at panicked fish, often leaping out of the water in the process. Spinners often form feeding schools and will eat just about any species offish and squid/cuttlefish/octopus that they can catch.

Both sexes mature at 5-6 feet in length. They bear 3-15 living pups, which were nourished by a yolk-sac placenta. Pups are 24-30 inches long and grow rapidly until mature, after which growth slows to about 2 inches per year.

SIZE

Averages a little over 6 feet and 100 pounds, although fish nearly 10 feet long and 200 pounds are on record.

FOOD VALUE

Very good. See nurse shark entry for handling tips.

[graphic]

SILKY SHARK

Carcharhinus falciformis Found Gulfwide, nearshore and offshore waters. It prefers water temperatures above 73 degrees and can be found in water depths as shallow as 50 feet and as deep as 1,500 feet.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

The silky shark is dark gray with a strong brown or bronze tint above, shading to white underneath. Its snout is shorter than the width of its mouth and second dorsal fin has a very long trailing rear tip that is over twice the height of the fin. Its name arises from the relatively smooth feel of its skin. This is due to it having small, tightly spaced denticles. All sharks' skins are covered with denticles, essentially toothlike scales. Most sharks have denticles large enough to make their skin feel like sandpaper. The silky shark is a fast-moving species that often feeds near the surface. It targets squid, crabs, and fish, including tuna.

Male silky sharks mature at 9-10 years old and 7 feet in length. Females take longer, 12 years, and must be slightly larger before reaching maturity. They bear 6-14 living young per litter, in alternate years, after a 12-month gestation period. Young sharks use shallow water areas as nurseries. The oldest known age for the silky shark is 23 years. The silky shark forms schools of one sex and/or similar sizes. Smaller silky sharks often school with tuna.

SIZE

Commonly 200-300 pounds, but occasionally over twice that size and 10 feet long.

FOOD VALUE

Very good. See nurse shark entry for handling tips.

[graphic]

BULL SHARK

Carcharhinus leucas

Other Names—Small specimens are often called Sand Sharks

Found Gulfwide in nearshore waters, coastal lakes, bays, and inlets, and freshwater rivers. Bull sharks have been recorded as far up the Mississippi River as Illinois and 2,000 miles up the Amazon River in South America. In Gulf of Mexico rivers, they only infrequently move more than 100 miles upriver. Bull sharks seem to prefer waters of low clarity.

IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

Bull sharks can be identified by their blunt, extremely short snout, the length of which is less than the width of the mouth. Their color is a dull gray above, shading to white below. Bull sharks are extremely common in low-salinity estuarine waters. Mature females enter these waters between April and June to bear their 29-inch pups. The pups remain in these waters about 6 years and until 4-5 feet in length. Bull sharks are sluggish unless feeding, when they become very active, capable of spurts of speed over 10 miles per hour. They feed on a wide variety of food items but seem to favor rays and other sharks, even of their own species. Besides the usual fish and crustaceans, they also eat porpoises, sea turtles, and even dogs. They are aggressive and have been implicated in numerous attacks on humans in Gulf of Mexico waters and elsewhere in the world.

The larger size of female bull sharks is attributed to their longer life span—16 years compared to 12 years for males. Males and females mature at 6-7 feet and 5-6 years of age. Mating in the Gulf of Mexico occurs during the summer. After a 10-11-month gestation, litters of 1-13 pups are born alive and free-swimming.

SIZE

Juveniles in inshore waters tend to be small, under