Weakfish

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Weakfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Sciaenidae Genus: Cynoscion Species: C. regalis
Binomial name
Cynoscion regalis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

The weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, is a marine fish of the drum family Sciaenidae.

The head and back of this fish is dark brown in color with a greenish tinge. The sides have a faint silvery hue with dusky specks, and the belly is white. The origin of its name is based on the weakness of the mouth muscles, which often cause a hook to tear free, allowing the fish to escape. The weakfish grows to 1 m (3 feet) in length and 8.7 kg (19 pounds 2 ounces) in weight. It is found along the eastern coast of North America from Nova Scotia, Canada to northern Florida, where it is fished both commercially and recreationally.

In the mid-Atlantic states, the fish is sometimes referred to by the name Sea Trout, though it is not related to the fishes properly called Trout, which are in the family Salmonidae.

The weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.

[edit] References

• Cynoscion regalis (TSN 169241). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 24 January 2006.
• "Cynoscion regalis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.