378 Southern King Whiting 



Size: Reaches a length of 17 inches and a weight of 3 

 pounds. 



General Information: The Northern Kingfish is found in 

 small schools near ocean beaches and in bays and estuaries, 

 usually on sandy bottoms. It spawns in the protected waters 

 of the bays in late spring and summer. The eggs are 

 buoyant. This species is a bottom feeder and eats crusta- 

 ceans, small shellfish, worms, and young fishes. 

 Economic Importance: A prime food fish readily marketed 

 but not as abundant as many other commercial species. The 

 Northern Kingfish is a good game fish frequently caught by 

 the surf angler. 



Southern King Whiting or Kingfish 

 Menticirrhus americanus (Linnaeus) 



Color: Silvery gray above; white below and often with 



dusky markings. Sides with 7-8 obscure, oblique bands 



running upward and backward; band sometimes absent. 



Distribution: Occurs from New York to Texas, but it is 



not common north of Chesapeake Bay. 



Size: This species reaches a length of at least 16 inches 



and a weight of about IV2 pounds. 



General Information: The Southern Kingfish is similar in 



its habits to the northern kingfish. 



Economic Importance: An excellent food fish. It is the 



most common species in the commercial catches of the 



south Atlantic states and is frequently caught by anglers 



fishing in waters from Chesapeake Bay south. 



