Atlantic croaker 



Micropogonias undulatus 

 Adult 



5 cm 



(from Goode 1884) 



Common Name: Atlantic croaker 



Scientific Name: Micropogonias undulatus 



Other Common Names: Croaker, crocus, hardhead, 



king billy; tambour bresilien (French); la corbina, 



corvinon brasilieno , and gorrubata (Spanish) (Fischer 



1978, Lassuy 1983, NOAA 1985). 



Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 



Phylum: Chordata 



Class: Osteichthyes 



Order: Perciformes 



Family: Sciaenidae 



Value 



Commercial : A commercial fishery for this species has 

 existed in the Atlantic Ocean since the late 1880's 

 (NOAA 1993). In the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic 

 croaker is the most important species of industrial 

 bottomfish, representing about 76% of the total land- 

 ings (Warren and Sutter 1982, NOAA 1985, NOAA 

 1993). The major harvesting areas are located be- 

 tween Mobile Bay, Alabama and Calcasieu Lake, 

 Louisiana. The Gulf fishery for croaker began expand- 

 ing in 1967 with the decline in landings from the 

 Chesapeake Bay and the discovery of large stocks 

 around the mouth of the Mississippi River. About 44 mt 

 of croaker estimated at $48 thousand were taken by 

 commercial fishermen in the Gulf (Newlin 1 993). More 

 than 43 mt were caught within 5 km of the coast. 

 Landings by state for 1992 were: Florida - 6.8 mt; 

 Alabama - 8.6 mt; Louisiana - 25.4 mt; and Texas - 3.1 8 

 mt (Newlin 1993). Major methods of harvest include 

 pound nets, haul seines, otter trawls, and gill nets with 

 some additional catches made by trammel and fyke 

 nets (Mercer 1989). It is considered an excellent 

 foodfish, and is exported to foreign countries where it 

 is a preferred species (Fischer 1977, Shipp 1986). It 



occasionally appears in domestic markets where it is 

 usually marketed fresh (Fischer 1978). 



Recreational : Atlantic croaker also contributes signifi- 

 cantly to the sportfish fishery in the eastern Gulf of 

 Mexico (Warren and Sutter 1 982). While not a particu- 

 larly popular game fish, it is still caught by many 

 fishermen. Large "bull croakers" are particularly sought 

 for around oil rigs west of the Mississippi delta in 

 Louisiana waters (NOAA 1985). The United States 

 marine recreational catch was about 3,293 million 

 croakers in 1 993 for the Gulf of Mexico (except Texas) , 

 the majority being caught in nearshore waters 

 (O'Bannon 1994). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress: This species is a 

 bottom feeder which often accumulates contaminants 

 and is a target species for NOAA's National Status and 

 Trends Program (NOAA 1987). The effects of heavy 

 metals and PCB's on Atlantic croaker reproduction 

 (Thomas 1 989, Thomas 1 990), the effects of sublethal 

 copper exposure (Scarfe et al. 1982), and of lead on 

 glutathione levels (Juedes 1 985) have also been stud- 

 ied. 



Ecological : Because of its high abundance, Atlantic 

 croaker is an important predator of benthic inverte- 

 brates (Lassuy 1983). 



Range 



Overall : The Atlantic croaker occurs in coastal waters 

 of the western Atlantic, from the Gulf of Maine to 

 southern Florida and along the Greater Antilles. It is 

 rare around the Florida Keys. In the Gulf of Mexico, it 

 is found from southern Florida to central Mexico. It may 

 also occur in the southern Gulf and the lesser Antilles 



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