sea bass
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AppearanceBlack sea bass are stout-bodied with a long dorsal fin and large pectoral and pelvic fins. The dorsal fin has a spiny forward section and the soft rayed rear section, and is marked with a series of white spots and bands. The tail is rounded and sometimes has a long streamer at the top edge. As the name implies, their body coloration is blackish to grayish, but the center of the scales is white. During the spawning season, however, dominant males turn bright blue colors and have a large hump on their heads. Juveniles are brown in color and have a dark lateral stripe running down the body. Black sea bass can reach up to 25” in length and over 8 pounds in weight; although the majority of fish caught weigh less than 4 pounds.
Where they liveThe black sea bass we find in Massachusetts formerly ranged from Cape Cod south to North Carolina; however, in the last decade or so, the Gulf of Maine has also become suitable habitat due to warming sea temperatures. They are a migratory fish, wintering in deep water off the coast of the mid-Atlantic states and traveling northward and inshore in the spring, generally arriving in large schools to Massachusetts waters sometime in May. Adult sea bass then take up residence over rocky bottoms or anywhere some structure can be found in depths of less than 150 feet. They are abundant in Massachusetts waters until October, with the largest concentrations found in Buzzards Bay and Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds. Juvenile and young-of-the-year sea bass tend to prefer estuaries, where they feed and avoid predators.
Life historyBlack sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning most fish start life as females and change into males (generally once they reach 9–13”). This change takes place over the fall and winter after spawning has ended, and is thought to be based on visual rather than chemical cues. Black sea bass are fast growing, reaching sexual maturing between 2–5 years (or 8–14” generally). Dominant males attract a group of females to mate, often referred to as a harem, and aggressively defend their territory. So-called subordinate males continue to look like females and await their turn to assert dominance. Spawning in Massachusetts occurs in late spring and early summer in relatively shallow water. Large females are capable of producing up to half a million eggs. Sea bass eggs float in the water column for only a few days before hatching into larvae that then settle in nearshore waters. After settling, the young juveniles migrate to estuaries where they grow and develop throughout the summer and early fall. Black sea bass are aggressive feeders, preying on a variety of small fishes as well as crustaceans and squid, which they eat whole. They can live up to 10–12 years.
Where they liveThe black sea bass we find in Massachusetts formerly ranged from Cape Cod south to North Carolina; however, in the last decade or so, the Gulf of Maine has also become suitable habitat due to warming sea temperatures. They are a migratory fish, wintering in deep water off the coast of the mid-Atlantic states and traveling northward and inshore in the spring, generally arriving in large schools to Massachusetts waters sometime in May. Adult sea bass then take up residence over rocky bottoms or anywhere some structure can be found in depths of less than 150 feet. They are abundant in Massachusetts waters until October, with the largest concentrations found in Buzzards Bay and Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds. Juvenile and young-of-the-year sea bass tend to prefer estuaries, where they feed and avoid predators.
Life historyBlack sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning most fish start life as females and change into males (generally once they reach 9–13”). This change takes place over the fall and winter after spawning has ended, and is thought to be based on visual rather than chemical cues. Black sea bass are fast growing, reaching sexual maturing between 2–5 years (or 8–14” generally). Dominant males attract a group of females to mate, often referred to as a harem, and aggressively defend their territory. So-called subordinate males continue to look like females and await their turn to assert dominance. Spawning in Massachusetts occurs in late spring and early summer in relatively shallow water. Large females are capable of producing up to half a million eggs. Sea bass eggs float in the water column for only a few days before hatching into larvae that then settle in nearshore waters. After settling, the young juveniles migrate to estuaries where they grow and develop throughout the summer and early fall. Black sea bass are aggressive feeders, preying on a variety of small fishes as well as crustaceans and squid, which they eat whole. They can live up to 10–12 years.