Red drum

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Red drum

Conservation status

Vulnerable

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Sciaenidae
Genus:	Sciaenops Gill, 1863
Species:	S. ocellatus

Binomial name

Sciaenops ocellatus
(Linnaeus, 1766)

The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as channel bass, redfish, puppy drum or just red, is a game fish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Northern Mexico. It is the only species in the genus Sciaenops.

1 Characteristics
2 Relationship to humans
3 References
4 Citations

[edit] Characteristics

Red Drum usually occur along coastal waters. Three year-old red drum typically weigh six to eight pounds. The largest one on record weighed just over 94 pounds. When they are large they are called Bull reds and most people do not find the large ones good to eat.

Mature Red Drum spawn in near shorelines. Juvenile red drum typically inhabit bays and coastal marshes until they reach maturity between 3 and 6 years of age. They will readily accept any bait but prefer Menhaden, Shrimp, Mud Minnows and crabs. Red Drum are relatives of the Black Drum and both make a croaking sound when in trouble.

[edit] Relationship to humans

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1971 designated the Red Drum as the official State Salt Water Fish. (Session Laws, 1971, c. 274; G.S. 145-6).^[1]

President of the United States George W. Bush in an Executive Order on October 20, 2007 designated the Red Drum as a protected game fish. This prohibits sale of Red Drum caught in Federal waters and encourages states to consider designating Red Drum as a protected game fish within state waters.^[2]