Hobbies And Interests
Weakfish
Weakfish are found from Nova Scotia to Florida and West Florida to Tampa Bay. They can grow to 35 inches long and weigh 18 lbs. They're long, compressed fish, greenish olive on top with silver bellies and iridescent sides. As the coastal waters warm in the spring, weakfish move from wintering grounds between Chesapeake Bay and Cape Lookout in North Carolina to nearby bays and estuaries. The spawning peaks from April to June. Females continually lay eggs during the spawning season. Larvae return from the spawning areas to the nursery estuaries and remain until October to December of their first year, then they migrate to the coast.
Atlantic Tomcod
The Atlantic tomcod is a 15-inch long fish, olive green on top with a yellowish tinge and pale on the sides, with body and fins mottled with spots or blotches. It lives in the brackish or fresh water of estuaries from Labrador to Virginia. It spawns in estuaries from November to February, with the height of egg production coming in January. The eggs are about .059 inches in diameter and sink to the bottom where they stick to seaweed or stones in clumps. The eggs will hatch after about 24 days. The larvae are .20 inches long.
Gray Snapper
The gray snapper is a slender, gray or green fish that can grow to 3 feet long. It can change color instantly depending on its background. It can be found from Massachusetts to Brazil, including Bermuda and the Caribbean. It spawns in the summer near the time of the full moon. The females scatter their eggs and the males fertilize them externally. The eggs don't receive much parental care and the juveniles and larvae stay in the estuary while the adults go offshore.
Atlantic Menhaden
The Atlantic menhaden is a fish 18 inches long with an oval body of blue or green with silvery sides and belly that ranges from New Brunswick to South Florida. It's sometimes called the pogy and is valued for its oil. It spawns offshore probably all year, if the water temperature isn't too high. For spawning the fish prefers the temperature at 59 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The female can lay from 38,000 to 631,000 eggs per season. The eggs hatch at sea and the current washes the larvae into estuarine nurseries. They will spend the first year of life there and return to the ocean in late fall.