Black Sea Bass

Credit: Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles

Family Serranidae

Description: basic color dark brown or black; dorsal fin has rows and stripes of white on black; large males have iridescent blue and ebony markings, and fatty hump in front of dorsal fin; females may have indistinct vertical barrings; topmost ray of caudal fin much elongated in adults; caudal may be tri-lobed; sharp spine near posterior margin of gill cover

Similar fish: bank sea bass, C. ocyurus; other Centropristis

Where found: structure-loving fish, associated with reefs and rubble offshore; smaller specimens often found in INSHORE finger channels

Size: common to 1.5 pounds (13 inches)

Remarks: spawns January through March; protogynous hermaphrodites, older females becoming breeding males; omnivorous bottom feeders, diet including small fish, crustaceans, and shellfish