Weakfish

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 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 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. In New England it is also known as the Squeteague.

The weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.

Management

Weakfish stocks have been 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, and bycatch reduction gear. It is hopeful that these regulations incorporated with others will help weakfish populations come back to a sustainable point.

References

• "Cynoscion regalis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=169241. Retrieved 24 January 2006. 
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Cynoscion regalis" in FishBase. January 2006 version.

This Perciformes article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Sciaenidae Perciformes stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Porgy Striped bass Look at other dictionaries: Weakfish — Weak fish , n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any fish of the genus {Cynoscion}; a squeteague; so called from its tender mouth. See {Squeteague}. [1913 Webster] {Spotted weakfish} (Zo[ o]l.), the spotted squeteague. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English weakfish — [wēk′fish΄] n. pl. weakfish or weakfishes (see FISH) [< obs. Du weekvisch < week, soft (akin to WEAK) + visch, FISH] any of various edible, marine drum fishes (genus Cynoscion), esp. a species ( C. regalis) that lives in the waters along… …   English World dictionary weakfish — 1838, from Du. weekvisch, from week soft (see WEAK (Cf. weak)) …   Etymology dictionary weakfish — /week fish /, n., pl. (esp. collectively) weakfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) weakfishes. any food fish of the genus Cynoscion, as C. regalis, inhabiting waters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S. [1790 1800,… …   Universalium weakfish — squeteague sque*teague (skw[ e]*t[=e]g ), n. [From the North American Indian name.] (Zo[ o]l.) An American sci[ae]noid fish ({Cynoscion regalis}), abundant on the Atlantic coast of the United States, and much valued as a food fish. It is of a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English weakfish — noun Etymology: obsolete Dutch weekvis, from Dutch week soft + vis fish Date: 1791 1. a common marine bony fish (Cynoscion regalis of the family Sciaenidae) of the eastern coast of the United States that is an important sport and food fish called …   New Collegiate Dictionary weakfish — smėlinis sterkinis kuprys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Cynoscion arenarius angl. sand sea trout; weakfish rus. песчаный судачий горбыль ryšiai: platesnis terminas – sterkiniai kupriai …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas weakfish — noun Any of several species of game fish, of the genus Cynoscion, found in North American waters Syn: squeteague …   Wiktionary weakfish — n. saltwater fish that is native to the northern United States Atlantic coast and is valued for its lean flesh, sea trout …   English contemporary dictionary weakfish — noun (plural same or weakfishes) a large slender bodied edible marine fish of the east coast of North America. [Cynoscion regalis.] Origin C18: from obs. Du. weekvisch, from week soft + visch fish …   English new terms dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”