Black Drum, Channel Bass 381 



Black Drum, Sea Drum 

 Pogonias cromis Linnaeus 



Color: Back and sides silvery with a brassy luster turning 

 to a dark gray soon after death; belly grayish white. Small 

 fish have 4-5 black vertical bars on sides. 

 Distribution: Found from Argentina to Cape Cod and as a 

 stray to Massachusetts Bay. 



Size: The largest specimen recorded weighed 146 pounds. 

 A fish 41/3 feet long weighed 871/2 pounds. 

 General Information: The Black Drum is most common 

 from New Jersey southward. It is a bottom feeder and 

 eats mostly shellfish and crustaceans. It is reported to be 

 very destructive on oyster beds, and as a result in New 

 York State the conservation law stipulates that any speci- 

 men of this fish caught must not be returned to the water 

 alive. 



Economic Importance: A coarse-fleshed fish taken in small 

 quantities by the commercial fisheries from New Jersey 

 south. The Black Drum is a favorite species of the surf- 

 caster. 



Channel Bass, Red Drum 

 Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus) 



Color: Metallic greenish bronze above; white below. Scales 

 on sides with dark centers forming stripes. Usually one jet 

 black spot at base of tail fin; sometimes several black spots 

 instead of one. 



