Abstract

Black sea bass is a small, chubby fish belonged to grouper. Black sea bass is a valuable, recreational fish and one of the most considerable species related to commercial bass. The only source for this fish is the United States. Caught off the Atlantic coast, the number of this species is decreasing and a demand is increasing, particularly in sushi and live fish market. This paper is aimed to shed light on every tidbit of black sea bass. The physical description, distribution, habitat, life cycle and spawning are discussed in detail.

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion and Analysis3

Sea Bass3

Black Sea Bass: An Overview4

Description4

Distribution5

Habitat6

Food Preference6

Life History6

Biology6

Spawning8

Culture Techniques8

Conclusion9

Works Cited11

Black Sea Bass

Introduction

Black sea bass (Centropristes striata) is a black-striped sea bass that dwells in the continental shelf waters of the U.S. from the Gulf of Maine to the Florida Keys and from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, it is most abundant. In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, a distinct population is found (Mercer, 1989; Steimle et al., 1999). According to Shepherd, (2006), the maximum growth of black sea bass is 61 to 64 cm long, while it weighs up to 8 pounds and their average life is 10 to 12 years, however, majority of fish do not go over 1 to 2 pounds and their average life does not exceed 9 years of age. It is a best-selling fish with firm, moderately fat, white flesh and may be cooked by any means, including baking, poaching, broiling, and sautéing. Because of its diet of crabs and shrimp mostly, it has a delicate flavor. There is a variation in its color from brown to dark gray.

Discussion and Analysis

Sea Bass

Considered as a subfamily of the Serranidae, the family Moronidae comprises around six species of sea basses found in more northern regions. These fishes live in the temperate waters of North America and Europe. They are characterized by two disconnected dorsal fins that are conjoined at the base. A small number of these fishes, like the striped bass (Morone, or Roccus, saxatilis), goes into rivers to breed. The white perch (R. americanus or M. americana), which also goes into fresh water to spawn, is closed in certain streams and ponds, in some areas permanently.

The more familiar moronids consist of the European bass (labrax, Morone, or Dicentrarchus), found often in river mouths, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean; the striper or striped bass, striped with black, a well known American food and sport fish, growing to more or less 14 kg; the white bass (M. chrysops), found in the eastern United States, a dark-striped river fish; and the white perch, a North American Atlantic species growing to a maximum of around 38 cm and 1.4 kg.

Grouper are among the various serranid sea basses recognized for food and sport. The black sea bass is a relative of grouper. It is a gray, blackish or brownish species of the western Atlantic.

Black Sea Bass: An Overview

A relative of grouper, black sea bass is mild, and a bit delicate-tasting fish found along the ...