Red drum

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Red Drum
Red Drum - NC September 11, 2009
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Sciaenidae
Genus:	Sciaenops Gill, 1863
Species:	S. ocellatus
Binomial name
Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1766)

The Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as Channel Bass, Redfish, Spottail Bass or simply Reds, is a game fish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Northern Mexico.^[1] It is the only species in the genus Sciaenops. The red drum is a cousin to the Black Drum (Pogonias cromis), and the two species are often found in close proximity to each other, they can interbreed and form a robust hybrid, and younger fish are often indistinguishable in flavor.^[2]

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Life Cycle 3 Consumption 4 Relationship to humans 5 Management 6 Angling 7 Notes 8 References

[edit] Characteristics

Red Drum usually occur along coastal waters. Three year-old red drum typically weigh six to eight pounds. The largest one on record weighed just over 94 pounds. When they are large they are called Bull reds, although most people do not find the large ones good to eat.

Mature Red Drum spawn in near shorelines. Juvenile red drum typically inhabit bays and coastal marshes until they reach maturity between 3 and 6 years of age. They will readily accept any bait but prefer Menhaden, Shrimp, Mud Minnows and crabs. Red Drum are relatives of the Black Drum and both make a croaking sound when in trouble.

The most distinguishing mark on the red drum is one large black spot on the upper part of the tail base. Having multiple spots is not uncommon for this fish but having no spots is extremely rare. Scientists believe that the black spot near their tail helps fool predators into attacking the red drum's tail instead of their head, allowing the red drum to escape.^[3]

[edit] Life Cycle

Spawning season is mid-August to mid-October. The Red Drum's eggs incubate for 24 hours. A female can lay up to two million eggs a season. The drum live to be 60 years old unless caught.

[edit] Consumption

Redfish was named as giving a good result with court-bouillon in a cookbook published in New Orleans in 1901.^[4]

In the early 1980s, the chef Paul Prudhomme made his dish of Cajun-style blackened redfish popular. When catches of redfish declined in the 1980s many believed that it was being commercially over-fished because of its recent popularity. However, redfish numbers started declining in the late 1970s, possibly because of over-fishing of young redfish in shallow coastal waters by recreational fishermen. From 1980 through 1988, commercial fishermen took an average of 28% of the redfish while sport fishermen harvested 72 percent. Catch limits and size restrictions have increased the average weight of redfish caught in Louisiana coastal waters.^[5] Restrictions on both sport and commercial fishermen allowed the species to rebuild. While redfish may no longer be commercially harvested in most states, they are readily caught and still enjoyed as table fare by many. In addition, farm raised redfish are still available as a commercial product ^{[6][opinion needs balancing]}

On March 1, 2009 redfish was the "secret ingredient" on the television program Iron Chef America, with competitors Mourad Lahlou and Cat Cora both preparing several dishes from the fish.

Red drum have a moderate flavor and are not oily. Big drum can be challenging to clean; removing the large scales is a challenge. Many fishers prefer to fillet with an electric knife, first removing the fillet from along the backbone, and then using the electric knife to cut the fillet from the skin and scales. Fish over 15 lbs can become tough and have a consistency comparable with chicken, rather than the flakey texture of many species of fish. Younger fish are often indistinguishable in flavor from black drum.^[7]

[edit] Relationship to humans

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1971 designated the Red Drum as the official State Salt Water Fish. (Session Laws, 1971, c. 274; G.S. 145-6).^[8]

President of the United States George W. Bush in an Executive Order on October 20, 2007 designated the Red Drum as a protected game fish. This prohibits sale of Red Drum caught in Federal waters and encourages states to consider designating Red Drum as a protected game fish within state waters.^[9]

[edit] Management

Red drum is mainly harvested through recreational fishing, and limits apply where they are commercially fished. Management is regulated by multiple organizations, but has proved successful due to increasing populations of the species in recent years. However, some of the growth may be by chance due to a lack of significant information on some population areas of red drum.

[edit] Angling

Red drum are often found over sand and sandy mud bottoms in coastal waters and estuaries. They feed mainly on crustaceans, mollusks and fishes.^[10] Since they are bottom feeders, they are commonly caught with bait either on the bottom or suspended within a couple feet of the bottom. Shrimp is a typical bait that works well; squid can also be used and is less subject to bait stealing by hardhead catfish and Atlantic croakers which often frequent the same waters. There are times when the older,larger fish are more readily caught on a half or a quarter of a blue crab with the top shell removed and cut or broken to fit on a 4/0 to 9/0 hook. Baitfish such as pinfish can also be effective,along with a variety of other techniques.

A big adult drum grabs the bait, takes off with gusto, and can put up quite a fight. An unsecured rod can easily be pulled into the water. Landing these big fish on light tackle can be challenging, and since drum are primarily scent-based feeders, there is little disadvantage in using heavier line and tackle,especially in stained or deeper water. A 40-lb braided line with a comparable weight flurocarbon leader is a good compromise between castability and strength. However, big drum are frequently caught with everything from 8-lb monofiliment to 100-lb braided lines with heavy steel leaders.

An effective strategy for fishing from a boat is to select a spot with a sandy bottom or oyster bed where food is plentiful at a time of day with some tidal movement. Pier or bank fishing should target jetties, structure, or a boat channel near a rapid increase in depth and some tidal movement. Because bigger drum can make a long, strong run right after taking the bait, preventing broken line often requires a relatively light drag setting early in the fight.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Sciaenops ocellatus (TSN 169290). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 24 January 2006.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Retrieved on 6 August 2009.
• "Sciaenops ocellatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. November 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.