Black Bass - Species Report

Centropristis striata

"Blackfish" is also called the "black bass", but by whatever name it is called, it is a much-sought-after fish in our oceanic waters. It is not large in size, perhaps, but the black sea bass is large in taste, a staple of the fishermen and restaurants along the North Carolina coast. Many people claim that it is the best-tasting saltwater fish to be found. It is commonly found at rock jetties, artificial reefs and any hardbottom areas in our nearshore waters.

History and Status
The black sea bass has always been a permanent fixture in the oceanic waters of North Carolina. Long a popular fish of both recreational and commercial fishermen, it is highly esteemed for its taste. Commercial landings of black sea bass have exceeded 500,000 pounds each year since 1988, and managers are concerned that this intense fishing pressure is causing declines in the populations. They have placed minimum-size limits on any fish caught as well as restricted the types of gear that can catch them. Currently, there is a 8-inch minimum size, but there is a proposal to increase this to 10 inches.

Description
At least 37 members of the sea bass family are found in our offshore waters. The black sea bass is one of the smallest members of this family, which includes the groupers, some of which can reach 580 pounds. This bass is easily identified by its body shape, fin characteristics and color. The head and body are bluish black to dark brown with various blotching. White centers in the scales form narrow pale stripes along the sides. The upper and lower edges of the tail fin are white, as are the short white tabs on the tips of the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is also marked with series of white spots and bands.

Two similar-appearing species are the rock sea bass (Centropristis philadelphica) and the bank sea bass (C. ocyu-rus). The rock sea bass is generally tan in color with a black blotch in the dorsal fin (the back fin) and long, fleshy tabs on the dorsal fin spines. The bank sea bass occurs offshore in deeper waters and is identified by the six to seven dark bars and blotches on the sides and the lack of long tabs on the dorsal fin spines. The black sea bass can reach 2 feet in length and up to 8 pounds in weight, although fish from 8 to 12 inches long and weighing 0.5 to 2 pounds are much more common. Centropristis means “spine-saw,” while striata means "striped."

Habitat and Habits
The black sea bass inhabits irregular hardbottom areas such as wrecks, jetties, reefs and rock outcroppings in shallow waters. All members of the sea bass family are known as "protogynous hermaphrodites" that is, they start out life as females and change to males as they get older. The females mature in their second year when they are about 7 1/2 inches long. The transition to the male occurs between ages 2 and 5. Generally fish over 10 inches long are males.

The spawning season is long, but the peak time is March through June. The number of eggs produced can range from almost 30,000 for a young female to over 300,000 for larger females. Black sea bass will eat almost anything, but they prefer crabs, shrimp, worms, clams and small fishes. Although they can live as long as 20 years, few get much older than 9 years. They grow slowly. A 1-year-old fish is only 5 inches long; a 5-year-old is 12 inches long; and an 8-year-old is only about 15 inches long.

The younger, smaller individuals (primarily females) are found in shallower, inshore waters (less than 66 feet deep), while older, larger fish tend to be caught in deeper water. The population north of Cape Hatteras migrates seasonally, with a general inshore and northward movement in late spring and an offshore, southerly movement in the fall and winter. Movements of black sea bass south of Cape Hatteras are much more restricted, often covering only a few miles.

People Interactions
The black sea bass is the mainstay of the recreational fishery off North Carolina, particularly of the headboats operating mainly out of Morehead City and Carolina Beach. Commercial fishermen also fish for them heavily in the colder months using sea bass pots. They are abundant on the many artificial reefs maintained by the state of North Carolina. Small individuals can also be caught off fishing piers and on the rock jetties that line several of our inlets. Fishermen north of Cape Hatteras catch them in fish trawls.

Range and Distribution
The black sea bass is a temperate marine species that is found inhabiting hardbottom areas and rocky outcrops from Maine to Cape Canaveral in Florida and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Two populations are believed to exist - one north of Cape Hatteras and the other south of Cape Hatteras. The species is also encountered in the high salinity sounds found behind the barrier islands.