Sheepshead 



Archosargus probatocephalus 

 Adult 



(from Goode 1884) 



Common Name: sheepshead 

 Scientific Name: Archosargus probatocephalus 

 Other Common Names: Sheepshead bream, sheep- 

 shead porgie, convict fish (Jennings 1985); rondeau 

 mouton (French), sargo chopa (Spanish) (Fischer 

 1978). 



Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 

 Phylum: Chordata 

 Class: Osteichthyes 

 Order: Perciformes 

 Family: Sparidae 



There are three subspecies of sheepshead along the 

 western Atlantic seaboard. A. p. probatocephalus is 

 the more northern race ranging from Nova Scotia to 

 Cedar Key, Florida. A. p. oviceps limited to the Gulf of 

 Mexico ranging from St. Marks, Florida to Campeche 

 Bank, Mexico. A. p. aries is the southern form ranging 

 from Belize to Brazil (Jennings 1985). 



Value 



Commercial : Traditionally, the sheepshead has had 

 some commercial value for food, but its acceptance as 

 a food fish varies among coastal localities (Jennings 

 1985, Beckman et al. 1991). Commercial interest in 

 this species has, however, increased markedly since 

 1981 as regulation of fisheries for other more popular 

 food fish has increased (Render and Wilson 1992, 

 GSMFC 1 992). It is taken commercially by seines and 

 incidentally by offshore shrimp trawlers, but is some- 

 times caught intentionally during the spawning season 

 when it is most abundant (Benson 1982, Jennings 

 1985). It has a low retail value, and most incidental 

 trawl catches are probably discarded. 



Recreational : The sheepshead supports a moderate 

 sport fishery in most months (Benson 1982, Beckman 

 etal. 1991). It is a common fish in inshore waters, often 

 caught on fiddler crab or barnacle bait (Hoese and 

 Moore 1977). Fishery information for the Gulf of 

 Mexico showed a total catch of 4,054,000 sheepshead 

 in 1992 (NMFS 1993). It is frequently discarded 

 because the dorsal spines make cleaning difficult. 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : The sheepshead is 

 not typically used in studies of environmental stress. 



Ecological : Sheepshead juveniles and adults are com- 

 mon demersal predators. Predation by this species 

 may be important in controlling the ecological structure 

 of sessile invertebrate and motile epifauna communi- 

 ties (Sedberry 1987). 



Range 



Overall : Sheepshead range from Nova Scotia to Florida, 

 and the Gulf of Mexico in continental waters. It is found 

 from Honduras to Rio de Janeiro, but is absent from 

 islands of the Caribbean Sea (Fischer 1978, Johnson 

 1978, Shipp 1988). It is common south of Cape 

 Hatteras. 



Within Study Area : A. probatocephalus has been di- 

 vided into three subspecies, with A. p. oviceps occur- 

 ring through the Gulf of Mexico from St. Marks, Florida 

 to Campeche Bank Mexico (Caldwell 1965, Fischer 

 1978, Lee et al. 1980) (Table 5.31). Greatest abun- 

 dance in the Gulf of Mexico probably occurs off of 

 southwest Florida (Shipp 1988). 



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