Saltwater Fish Identification

The fish is a very important member of the natural world. With around 28,000 known species, they play a very dominating role among the sea dwellers. They can survive in all the water bodies, as they are capable of adapting to most natural surroundings. They can be broadly divided into two types, according to the water bodies they are found in. Freshwater fish are found in inland water bodies, like lakes and rivers, where the salinity is less.

Saltwater fish are found in open seas and oceans, where the water is brackish and salty. They live in a warm and stable environment and they don't adapt easily to changes in temperature and the salinity of water. This group of fish consists of different types and their choice of habitat are many. They are also considered the more beautiful among the two. Saltwater fish identification can be done by knowing some features of common saltwater fish.

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix): The bluefish has a greenish-blue back with a silvery-white underbelly. It has a large mouth with compressed teeth and a protruding jaw with a long, pointed snout. It grows to approximately three feet in length. The bluefish travel in large groups and are cannibalistic in nature. These fish are usually found along the Atlantic coast from southern Canada, to the south of the American continent.

Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans):The blue marlin of the billfish family has a cobalt blue back with a silvery belly. It has an elongated, upper jaw formed like a spear and it has a high dorsal fin, with a pointed pectoral, and an anal fin. It feeds on most of the baitfish, but prefer tuna, mackerel and squid. These fish are native to the temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Bonefish (Albula vulpes): The bonefish has a silvery color, slender body, with a greenish and bluish back. It also has a long, conical snout aimed downwards with an overhanging lower jaw. It has dark streaks between scales on the upper half of its body, and faint cross-bands extending down to the lateral lines. The extremities of the dorsal and caudal fins are shaded with black. The bonefish prefers to feed on shrimp, shellfish, crab and other small fish. These fish are found in the waters south of Florida, the Bahamas and the Bermudas and also in the Eastern Pacific Coast.

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum): The cobia (ling) has a brownish back that grades down to a white underbelly, with two brown horizontal bands at the flank. It has an elongated, spindle-shaped body and a broad, flattened head with a projected lower jaw. It also has dark, lateral stripes extending from the eyes to the tail. The cobia usually feeds on crab, squid and small fish. These fish are found in the northern Gulf of Mexico and migrate toward Maryland, in the winters.

Common Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus): The common dolphinfish has a body that's greenish-blue with yellow sides and is capable of flashing colors such as purple, chartreuse. etc. It also has irregular blotches on the sides. It has a fair and slender body that tapers towards the tail. The head of a male dolphinfish has a vertical, anterior profile and the female has a sloping head. The common dolphinfish usually feed on flying fish and squid. They are found in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.

Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae): The Atlantic sharpnose shark has a brown, olive-gray or a bluish-gray body with a white underbelly. There are long, labial furrows around corners of its mouth and it also has a long snout. Its teeth are smooth and sharp-edged on both the jaws. The adults usually have white spots and the smaller ones have dorsal and caudal fins that are black-edged. These fish feed on shrimp, mollusks and small fish. They are usually found in the coastal waters of South Carolina, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus): The Atlantic Croaker, a member of the drum family, has a silvery-grey and a slightly pinkish body with brown, vertical stripes on the sides. Older fish have brassy-colored bodies with brown streaks formed by spots on their scales. They can be identified by 3 to 5 pairs of small barbels on their chins. These fish usually feed on shrimp, crab and dead plants and animals. They are usually found in the Atlantic coasts, from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf Flounders (Paralichthys albigutta): The Gulf flounder has a brown body with shades depending on the color at the bottom. It has numerous spots and blotches with three prominent eye-like spots forming a triangle. The body and the fins are filled with white spots. Its teeth are very strong and canine-like. They feed on small fish and crustaceans and are found from North Carolina through the Gulf of Mexico, to Texas in the south.

Red Groupers (Epinephelus morio): Red groupers are red and brownish with a scarlet-orange mouth lining and the sides are blotched in unorganized patterns. This type is distinguished by its large, dorsal fin which is marked with a black and white margin at the mid-fin. These fish also have a second spine at the dorsal fin, which is longer than the others.They feed on squid, crustaceans and small fish and are found in the waters of North Carolina to Brazil through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

White Grunts (Haemulon plumieri): White grunts are light bluish-gray with horizontal blue stripes on the head and a bright orange colored mouth. This fish has a white underbelly and bronzed tipped scales patterned in a checkered way. They feed on worms, shrimp, crabs, mollusks and small fish. They are found in the western Atlantic waters, from the Chesapeake Bay through the Gulf of Mexico, to the south of Brazil.

American Shad (Alosa sapidissima): The American shad, belonging to the herring family, has a green or greenish-blue back with a silvery side and a white underbelly. Its colors darken, when they enter freshwater to spawn. It also has a belly with a scute that forms a distinct keel with one or more dark spots in a row. The lower jaw has a pointed tip that fits into a v-shaped notch in the upper jaw. They usually feed on plankton and are found in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and in the coastal waters of central Florida.

There are many more interesting saltwater fish families such as jacks, mullets, mackerel, porgies, snapper, snooks, spadefish, tarpons and swordfishes to be included. As the seawater contains 75% of the world's total area and there still exists a lot of unexplored territory, the chances of finding more of these species are very high. A wider study will reveal a lot more interesting facts and details of these amazing saltwater fish.