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Fish Information

This section has articles on fish preparation, cooking, smoking and serving. Articles include information on salmon, tilapia, trout, tuna, shark, halibut, and other popular fish. Browse the list of articles or use the search feature.

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Published: August 21, 2009
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Atlantic Cod

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are caught along the Northeast coast of North American and in many parts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Cod are cool water fish. They have a delicious mild white flesh and are well suited for a variety of cooking methods.

 

Atlantic Haddock

Atlantic Haddock is known for its excellent table quality. The fish has fine white flesh and can be cooked in the same ways as cod. Haddock is a good source of low-fat protein and is high in magnesium and selenium. Small haddock and cod fillets are often sold as scrod in New England The term refers to the size of the fish which have a variety of sizes, i.e. scrod, markets, and cows

 

Atlantic Pollock

Atlantic Pollock is a member of the cod family. It is distinguished from other cods by its coloring. The Atlantic pollock is olive green above, with yellowish gray side and a silver belly. Its lateral line is white, and it has a small barbel on its chin. Pollock average 4-15 pounds but sometimes reach weights up to 40 pounds. Pollock are most common in cooler waters from Newfoundland south to the Mid-Atlantic states. Pollock are typically available year-round.

Summer Flounder

Summer flounder are an important commercially caught fish along the USA Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coast. Summer flounder (P. dentatis) begin life as free swimming fish. During growth, the "bottom" eye migrates to the upward-facing side of its body,allowing the flounder to lie on one side where it can ambush its prey. Flounder feed on a variety of small fish and crustaceans.

 

Winter Flounder

Winter flounder is an important fish throughout New England. The species are smaller than most flounder but are sought after as table fare. Several factors have contributed to serious declines of winter flounder and stocks are well below historical numbers.

 

Yellowtail Flounder

Yellowtail flounder reach maximum sizes of roughly 22 inches total length and 2.2 pounds in weight. They are popular in seafood markets, prized for their mild meat. Yellowtail Flounder are found along the Atlantic coast of North America from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador, and Newfoundland to the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Monkfish

Monkfish are also known as goosefish or angler fish. These strange fish live along the ocean floor, eating almost anything that comes near. They are equipped with a "lure" which is a stalk above their head which they skillfully use to attract prey close enough to swallow. Monkfish are caught by groundfishing trawlers or using gillnets and landed "head off".

Black Sea Bass

Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) are highly sought after by commercial fishermen throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of North America. Primary gear includes sea bass pots, otter trawls, and hook and line.

Scup (Porgy)

Scup or porgy (Stenotomus chrysops) range from the Mid Atlantic Bight from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Hatteras, NC. Adult scup feed in schools of similar-sized individuals around piers, rocks, offshore ledges, jetties, and mussel beds. They move inshore in summer but return to deeper waters offshore or migrate southward when temperatures cool. Large scup generally occur farther offshore than do smaller, younger ones.

 

Butterfish

Butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus), are small, bony fish with a thin oval body. Butterfish are fast-growing and live only a few years. They reach lengths of up to 9-10 inches. Butterfish congregate in schools and are commonly found from Southern New England to Cape Hatteras. The fish occasionally range from Nova Scotia south to deep waters off Florida

Atlantic Herring

Atlantic herring can be found in both the eastern and western halves of the North Atlantic Ocean. In the western Atlantic, herring range from Labrador to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Herring grow to about 14 inches, weighing less than a pound. Herring landed in the USA are marketed as canned sardines, steaks and kippers. Some U.S.-caught herring is sold to foreign ships that process the fish as frozen or salted products.

 

Spiny Dogfish

Dogfish are small sharks. They are plentiful, with schools sometimes being enormous. These fish are popular in several types of cuisines. The meat of dogfish is boneless, white and firm. Spiny dogfish management is controversial as scientists, fishermen and environmentalists disagree on population sizes

 

Atlantic Croaker

Atlantic Croaker or "hardhead" are popular saltwater fish common along the mid atlantic USA coast. They are known to have wild population fluctuations. The fish get their names because of the "croaking" noise the make when removed from the water.

Black Drum

Black drum are heavy bodied fish with barbels or whiskers under the chin. Younger fish have four or five dark vertical bars on their sides but the stripes tend to fade with age. The coloration of backs and sides varies although drum usualy have a white belly. Black drum can exceed 100 pounds. Black drum are members of the croaker family. A characteristic of this family of fish is the ability to produce croaking or drumming sounds with the air bladder, which is the reason for the common names croaker and drum.

Red Drum

Red drum or redfish are another large member of the croaker family, sometimes exceeding 50 lbs. The fish are similar to black drum but are not as deep bodied and have a reddish-copper color. They feed on fish and crustaceans.

 

Spotted Seatrout

Spotted seatrout, also known as speckeld trout are common throughout the Southeast. In addtion to being caught commercially, spotted seatrout are the most sought after fish by recreational anglers in the USA.

 

Weakfish

Weakfish are also known as gray trout. Their coloration includes a dark olive back, iridescent blue and copper sides and a silvery white belly. Other identifying features are yellow fins, large canine teeth in the upper jaw and dark spots on the upper part of the body, sometimes forming diagonal lines. Adult weakfish typically range from 12 to 18 inches but can grow up to to 3 feet long and weigh 4-18 pounds. The name "weakfish" comes from the fish's fragile mouth, which tears easily when hooked. Weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.

 

Spot

Spot occur along the Atlantic coast in estuarine and coastal waters from the Gulf of Maine to Florida, although they are most abundant from Chesapeake Bay south to South Carolina. Spot are caught commercially in gillnets and also in traps for use as live bait.

 

Striped Bass

Striped bass have several regional names. Known as striped bass, stripers, linesides, rockfish and other names, this fish is highly sought after as a recreational fish, as a commercial species and is even grown in aquaculture operations. Striped bass are very hardy fish, and even take to life in freshwater where they are often stocked throughout the USA.

 

White perch

White perch are small but tenacious fish that live along the mid-atlantic coast in brackish waters such as rivers, creeks and bays. Perch can be caught year round, even thru ice. They school up to spawn in early spring and can be caught in large numbers.