Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Weakfish live in the coastal waters of many states. Each state has jurisdiction over 3 nautical miles offshore from their state boundry; this means the state has control of conservation of weakfish in the fisheries in this determined area (Virginia Tech, 1996).
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Unknown
Weakfish are important food and gamefish for people along the Atlantic coast. They are also a sport fish and recreational game fish (Zim, 1955).
During different life stages, the food selected by weakfish varies. In the larval and juvenile stages, weakfish primarily eat copepods, a type of crustacean. Young weakfish also feed on mysid shrimp and anchovies. As adults, weakfish are the top carnivore in the eelgrass habitat of the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. An adult weakfish eats a variety of species, including annelids, mollusks, crustaceans, and other fish (Virginia Tech, 1996). One specific species eaten by weakfish are drums, which are heavy-bodied clams that are abundant in bays and estuaries (Moyle, 1993).
Weakfish are visually oriented animals when it comes to feeding and seeking after prey (Virginia Tech, 1996). In addition, weakfish also mock the calls of their prey, like their chattering call to attract striped cusk eels (Sciaenid Acoustics Research Team, 1997).
When weakfish have a prey in sight, they move towards it slowly. When in close pursuit of prey within 20 to 50 cm, weakfish produce rapid fin movements of the caudal fin, making it lunge at the prey with it jaws open and opercules flared (Virginia Tech, 1996).
This species of fish is indigenous to the Alantic coast of the United States, and ranges from Cape Cod to the shores of Florida (Shepherd, 1997). Seasonal migration leads the weakfish in a northern movement along the coast during the spring and then a migration to the warmer waters of the south in the fall. They are most abundant from the coasts of North Carolina to New York (Lowerre-Barbieri, 1996).
Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native )
Weakfish are found along the Atlantic coast. They migrate seasonally in the relatively shallow coastal water of sandy mud bottoms, and then to the brackish water of river estuaries for reproduction and feeding in the summer, finally returning offshore in the fall (Virginia Tech, 1996). During the spawning season, the most important habitat for the weakfish is the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay (Lowerre-Barbiere, 1995).
Aquatic Biomes: coastal
Weakfish have a length of about 1 meter (Zim, 1955). Weakfish are distinguished from other species in its genus by several meristic characteristics: the anal fin on weakfish have 11 or 12 soft rays, 11 to 13 gill rakers, and the lateral line scales number from 76 to 86. In adult weakfish the coloration of the dorsal scales are dark green fading into a silver underside. The coloration of the sides can range from spots of purple, green, blue, and gold that are generally found on the top half of the fish. The fins are yellowish in color. The basic shape of the weakfish's head is elongated, and it comes to a sharp point. The mouth is large and oblique, with the lower jaw protruding past the upper jaw. The dorsal fin of the weakfish is spiny, but the spines are flexible and usually the third or fourth spine is the longest. The anal fin is comparably smaller to other fish in the same family as the weakfish, with its base ending slightly in advance of the dorsal fin (Virginia Tech, 1996).
In male weakfish, there are extrinsic sonic muscles that extend throughout the body wall, and paired bilaterally at its origin on the trunk hypaxialis muscles. This muscle inserts on an aponeurotic sheet, that covers the dorsal surface of the swim bladder, and the muscles are separated from the lateral region of the body by connective tissue. This muscle is used in producing the 'drumming' or 'croaking' sounds that are possibly used for mating and/or prey calling. In females these muscles are present, but are vestigial (Connaughton, 1995).
Range mass: 0 to 0 kg.
Average mass: 5 kg.
Other Physical Features: bilateral symmetry
Weakfish have their common name because their jaws tear when caught with hooks. They are one of the best known fish in the Croakers family, scientific name Scianidae (Zim, 1955).
The weakfish reproductive biology is not well understood, despite studies on its spawning seasons. Weakfish may be a multiple spawner, which means that it has several mating seasons a year, or weakfish may have an extended spawning season (Lowerre-Barrieri, 1995).
There is some evidence that the male weakfish croaking sounds may be used in attracting a mate and playing a role in spawning behavior. This is because the male's sonic muscles, which are used in producing 'drumming' and 'croaking' sounds, increases three times its usual mass during spawning season (Connaughton, 1995).
Both male and female weakfish become sexually mature when they are roughly 1 to 2 years of age (Lowerre-Bariere, 1995). Weakfish are dioecious, meaning that the male and female reproductive organs are on separate individuals (Virginia Tech, 1996).
Spawning and egg-laying are all done near the shore of estuaries. Weakfish eggs are hard to identify, they have many similarities to other eggs of the sciaenid species that spawn at the same time as weakfish (Virginia Tech, 1996).
Cynoscion regalis, the weakfish, squeteague, bastard trout, bastard weakfish, common weakfish, gray weakfish, chickwick, gray trout, gray sea trout, sand trout, silver weakfish or squit, is a marine ray-finned fish of the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers.
A medium-large, slender, marine fish, it is found along the east coast of North America. The head and back of this fish are 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 (3.3 ft) in length and 9 kg (20 lb) 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.
This species has become established in the Gulf of Cadiz in the eastern Atlantic. This introduced population was first noted in 2011 when a specimen misidentified as Cynoscion nebulosus was taken and there is now a well established population.[2]
The weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.
Cynoscion regalis stocks have been generally low in recent years due to fishing and natural mortality increasing. Management of the species includes gear regulations, seasonal fishing, bycatch limitations, minimum size limits, commercial creel limits, and bycatch reduction gear. It is hoped that these regulations incorporated with others will help weakfish populations come back to a sustainable point.
Cynoscion regalis is a salt-water fish native to the mid Atlantic region of the east coast of the United States. Ranging from 12-18 inches once fully matured, with some adults reaching well above this range at up to 3 feet and 18 lbs. The weakfish can live up to 17 years but have an average lifespan of 9 to 12 years (Chesapeake).
Cynoscion regalis preys on a wide variety of species, including, small schooling fish like anchovies and Atlantic Menhaden, assorted crabs, shrimp, mollusks, and even large zooplankton. Weakfish move toward their prey slowly and once upon them they attack aggressively with an open jaw (Chesapeake). Although being a predatory fish and on a higher trophic level the weakfish are also a food source for other larger fish. Some examples of fish that prey on weakfish include the bluefish, the striped bass, and the dusky shark (Chesapeake).
Cynoscion regalis mainly spawn from April to August. This spawning takes place in the shallow waters of estuaries. Their young are in the form of zooplankton, floating freely with the tidal current. They flow with these currents until reaching their nursery area of low salinity rivers. Once these fish grow large enough in these areas, they begin to migrate back to the saltier waters to which they were spawned. They stay in these intertidal bay zone until winter, then join the schooling fish towards deeper offshore waters. The males have the ability to perform a deep croaking sound as shown by the Chesapeake Bay field guide (Chesapeake). The reason why these fish have the capability to do this is because they are a part of the drum family. This trait is very common in species that belong to the drum family and is commonly used for mating purposes. It is believed that weakfish also use this to attract other females as stated in a study done at the University of Michigan, "There is some evidence that the male weakfish croaking sound may be used in attracting a mate and playing a role in the spawning behavior. This is because the male's sonic muscles, which are used to produce 'drumming' and 'croaking' sounds, increases three times its usual mass during spawning season" (Gillum). This study shows that weakfish make use of their drum sound more frequently during the mating season, suggesting that it is used as a process for males to attract females.
Cynoscion regalis are schooling fish, meaning that they spend a large majority of their time swimming together either trying to evade larger predators, or trying to feed more efficiently on prey. Studies done by the university of Michigan state that these schooling patterns tend to become much tighter in signs of stress as they state, "weakfish have an acute chemosensory response mechanism. In times of stress, weakfish gather into tighter schools, this was seen in lab studies when higher temperatures were used. The weakfish under these conditions showed a 35% decrease in their distance to the other fish in the school. Also the frequency of school formation increased in response to stress" (Gillum). Weakfish school closer together when in situations of high stress in this study done by the university of Michigan. Theorizing that they use schooling as a form of protection.
Cynoscion regalis is excellent table fare; they can be used as a food source. The weakfish are recreationally fished and provide tackle shops with business.
Cynoscion regalis are finicky. They are very shy and prey selective; making them a harder fish to target recreationally, this provides a good challenge for anglers. They prefer a water temperature ranging from 50 degree F to 65 degrees F. This is the best time to target weakfish, as they are most actively breeding within these temperatures. They can be found feeding in temperatures exclusive to these numbers, but they may be much more finicky and hard to hook. The weakfish also have a very fragile mouth, making it hard for anglers to keep them from spitting the hook.
Cynoscion regalis has its main breeding grounds in the near shore estuaries of the Chesapeake Bay. "The most important habitat for the weakfish is the brackish waters of the Chesapeake bay" (Gillum). This is where the vast majority of weakfish breed, to maintain a healthy population of weakfish these areas must be preserved. The weakfish experienced a crash that was recognized in 2009 as stated by John McMurray in the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, "A 2009 stock assessment found that weakfish were badly depleted. The stock had reached an all-time low of 2.9 million pounds, far below the "biomass threshold" of 22.4 million pounds, which is what scientists would consider a healthy stock. This is an astonishing drop, since the East Coast harvest in 1980 was 80 million pounds" (McMurray).[3]
Natural mortality of this species has increased since the mid 1990s from 0.16 to an average of 0.93 from 2007 to 2014 but the underlying cause is still unknown. Given the decline in SSB in excess of 60% over three generation lengths and the unknown driver of increasing natural mortality, this species is listed as Endangered A2b with an urgent need for additional research to determine the driver of increasing natural mortality.[1]
Cynoscion regalis is a target for the recreational anglers and each individual state has its own size limit, possession limit, and season for targeting and collecting weakfish. For example, in the state of New Jersey, recreational anglers are allowed 1 fish that is greater than 13 inches at any time of the year as shown by the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection (NJ wildlife). Under Florida regulations weakfish are considered partially regulated, but there is a 100 lbs limit of unregulated fish including sand seatrout and silver seatrout per day outside of the Weakfish Management Zone. The Weakfish Management Zone includes state waters from the Florida-Georgia line to the southernmost tip of Amelia Island, the inland waters of Nassau County and the St. Marys River.[4] The regulations in the zone are to protect mainly the purebred weakfish, as they are relatively rare in Florida outside of this zone. Sand seatrout and silver seatrout are species of least concern.
Cynoscion regalis is the state fish of Delaware.[5]
Cynoscion regalis, the weakfish, squeteague, bastard trout, bastard weakfish, common weakfish, gray weakfish, chickwick, gray trout, gray sea trout, sand trout, silver weakfish or squit, is a marine ray-finned fish of the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers.
A medium-large, slender, marine fish, it is found along the east coast of North America. The head and back of this fish are 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 (3.3 ft) in length and 9 kg (20 lb) 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.
This species has become established in the Gulf of Cadiz in the eastern Atlantic. This introduced population was first noted in 2011 when a specimen misidentified as Cynoscion nebulosus was taken and there is now a well established population.
The weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.
