Florida pompano
Encyclopedia
The Florida pompano is a species
of marine fish in the Trachinotus
(pompano
) genus
of the Carangidae
family
. It has a compressed body and short snout
; coloration varies from blue-greenish silver on the dorsal areas and silver to yellow on the body and fins. It can be found along the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean
, depending on the season, and is popular for both sport and commercial fishing. Most Florida pompano caught weigh less than 3 pounds (1.4 kg) and are less than 17 inches (43.2 cm) long, though the largest individuals weigh 8–9 lb (3.6–4.1 ) and reach lengths of up to 26 inches (66 cm).
Because it is fast-growing and desirable for food, the pompano is one of the many fish that are currently being farmed through aquaculture
.
(Trachinotus falcatus). It has a deeply forked tail and is blue-greenish silver with yellow on the throat, belly, and pelvic and anal fins. The first dorsal fins are low, with about 6 separate spines. The first spine may be reabsorbed in a larger fish. The second lobes on the dorsal and anal fins have a lower anterior. There are 20-24 anal fin rays. It is a compressed fish with a deep body and a blunt snout.
Invariably, b is close to 3.0 for all species, and c is a constant that varies among species. A weight-length relationship was determined for a sample of 1,984 Florida pompano collected along the Gulf Coast of Florida between 2000-2002. The fish sampled ranged in length from 79-481 mm (3.16-19.24 in). For this sample of Florida pompano, b = 2.9342 and c = 0.00076.
This relationship predicts that a 12 inches (304.8 mm) pompano will weigh about a pound. Most are less than 3 pounds when caught, though the largest pompano recorded have weighed 8-9 pounds and been 23-25 inches long.
to Brazil
, but it is more common in areas near Florida. During the summer, it can be found near Sebastian, Cape Hatteras, and the Gulf of Mexico. It is more common near oil rigs, Palm Beach and Hobe Sound during the winter. It can also be found near the Virgin Islands year round.
Its habitat is surf flats, and it likes to stay away from clear water regions, such as the Bahamas. Pompanos are very fast swimmers and live in schools. They are bottom feeders. They have very short teeth and feed on zoobenthos and small clams.
paper with a white sauce of wine, shrimp
, and crab
meat and then steamed.
The Pompano’s flesh is oily and looks white and opaque. Its diet yields a rich but mild flavor. Fresh fillets can cost $17 or more. Demand has encouraged the use of aquaculture to increase supply.
because it is such a popular food and sport fish and is in high demand, and at the same time it has a fast growth rate, high dockside prices, and a tolerance for low salinity waters. The typical market size of farm-raised pompano is 1 to 1.5 lb (0.45359237 to 0.680388555 ).
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have developed water recirculating systems for warm-water marine fish that accelerate fish growth, reduce the incidence of pathogens and disease, conserve water and removes animal wastes, compared with traditional pond systems.
Low-head pump systems with proper plumbing, minimal pipe bends, and larger diameter pipes require up to 30 percent less energy than a high-head centrifugal pump system. High-head systems use high-pressure centrifugal pumps, and low-head systems use low-pressure axial flow propeller pumps.
Traditional pond culture without water recirculation generally operates at densities of 0.005 to 0.007 lb (2.3 to 3.2 g) of fish per 1 gallons (3.8 l) of water. The recirculating system was able to maintain a rate as high as 0.5 pounds of fish per gallon of water, 100 times as much as the traditional system.
Individually, Florida pompano are caught on light jigs and popping corks. They are very active on the line, testing light tackle beyond what their weight would suggest. They bite near oil rig
s in the winter.
From 1997-2000, the fishing mortality rates increased sharply. However, an extensive study by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission concluded that as of 2005, the population of Florida pompano was healthy and that the fishery
was sustainable with current practices.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of marine fish in the Trachinotus
Pompano
Pompanos are marine fishes in the Trachinotus genus of the Carangidae family . Pompano may also refer to various other, similarly shaped members of Carangidae, or the order Perciformes. Their appearance is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver and toothless with a forked tail and...
(pompano
Pompano
Pompanos are marine fishes in the Trachinotus genus of the Carangidae family . Pompano may also refer to various other, similarly shaped members of Carangidae, or the order Perciformes. Their appearance is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver and toothless with a forked tail and...
) genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of the Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. It has a compressed body and short snout
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
; coloration varies from blue-greenish silver on the dorsal areas and silver to yellow on the body and fins. It can be found along the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, depending on the season, and is popular for both sport and commercial fishing. Most Florida pompano caught weigh less than 3 pounds (1.4 kg) and are less than 17 inches (43.2 cm) long, though the largest individuals weigh 8–9 lb (3.6–4.1 ) and reach lengths of up to 26 inches (66 cm).
Because it is fast-growing and desirable for food, the pompano is one of the many fish that are currently being farmed through aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
.
Description
There are different kinds of pompano, including African, Cayenne, Florida and Irish. The Florida Pompano (T. carolinus) is part of the jack family. It is very similar to the permitPermit (fish)
The permit, Trachinotus falcatus, is a game fish of the western Atlantic ocean belonging to the Carangidae family. Adults feed on crabs, shrimp, and smaller fish...
(Trachinotus falcatus). It has a deeply forked tail and is blue-greenish silver with yellow on the throat, belly, and pelvic and anal fins. The first dorsal fins are low, with about 6 separate spines. The first spine may be reabsorbed in a larger fish. The second lobes on the dorsal and anal fins have a lower anterior. There are 20-24 anal fin rays. It is a compressed fish with a deep body and a blunt snout.
Size
Juvenile pompano grow between 0.8 – per month, depending on the sample population. Pompano grow quickly and attain a length of about 12 inches (30.5 cm) and a weight of about 1 pound (0.45359237 kg) after the first year. The relationship between total length (L, in inches) and total weight (W, in pounds) for nearly all fish can be expressed by an equation of the form:Invariably, b is close to 3.0 for all species, and c is a constant that varies among species. A weight-length relationship was determined for a sample of 1,984 Florida pompano collected along the Gulf Coast of Florida between 2000-2002. The fish sampled ranged in length from 79-481 mm (3.16-19.24 in). For this sample of Florida pompano, b = 2.9342 and c = 0.00076.
This relationship predicts that a 12 inches (304.8 mm) pompano will weigh about a pound. Most are less than 3 pounds when caught, though the largest pompano recorded have weighed 8-9 pounds and been 23-25 inches long.
Life span
The Florida pompano is a fast-growing species and attains a length of 8–12 in (20.3–30.5 ) after its first year. They usually survive for only about 3 to 4 years, although individuals as old as 6-7 years old have been caught.Range and habitat
The adult Florida pompano is typically found in more saline areas and likes to stay in relatively warm waters (70-89 degrees Fahrenheit), so it migrates northward in the summer, and toward the south in the fall. Despite its name, the range of the Florida Pompano extends from MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, but it is more common in areas near Florida. During the summer, it can be found near Sebastian, Cape Hatteras, and the Gulf of Mexico. It is more common near oil rigs, Palm Beach and Hobe Sound during the winter. It can also be found near the Virgin Islands year round.
Its habitat is surf flats, and it likes to stay away from clear water regions, such as the Bahamas. Pompanos are very fast swimmers and live in schools. They are bottom feeders. They have very short teeth and feed on zoobenthos and small clams.
Food
The pompano is a popular food fish. Chefs like it because the fillets are of even thickness, which aids in cooking. A popular dish created in New Orleans is called “Pompano en Papillote,” in which it is wrapped in parchmentParchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
paper with a white sauce of wine, shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, and crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
meat and then steamed.
The Pompano’s flesh is oily and looks white and opaque. Its diet yields a rich but mild flavor. Fresh fillets can cost $17 or more. Demand has encouraged the use of aquaculture to increase supply.
Aquaculture
The Florida pompano is a popular choice for aquacultureAquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
because it is such a popular food and sport fish and is in high demand, and at the same time it has a fast growth rate, high dockside prices, and a tolerance for low salinity waters. The typical market size of farm-raised pompano is 1 to 1.5 lb (0.45359237 to 0.680388555 ).
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have developed water recirculating systems for warm-water marine fish that accelerate fish growth, reduce the incidence of pathogens and disease, conserve water and removes animal wastes, compared with traditional pond systems.
Low-head pump systems with proper plumbing, minimal pipe bends, and larger diameter pipes require up to 30 percent less energy than a high-head centrifugal pump system. High-head systems use high-pressure centrifugal pumps, and low-head systems use low-pressure axial flow propeller pumps.
Traditional pond culture without water recirculation generally operates at densities of 0.005 to 0.007 lb (2.3 to 3.2 g) of fish per 1 gallons (3.8 l) of water. The recirculating system was able to maintain a rate as high as 0.5 pounds of fish per gallon of water, 100 times as much as the traditional system.
Fishing
The pompano supports an important commercial and recreational fishery. Florida pompano are commercially fished in all states on the Eastern coast from Virginia to Texas, with Florida producing over 90% of the annual harvest. Harvesting occurs mostly along Florida's Western coast, with some harvesting on the eastern coast and in the Banana and Indian rivers. Between 1994 and 2006 it commanded dockside prices of more than $3 per pound of whole fish weight.Individually, Florida pompano are caught on light jigs and popping corks. They are very active on the line, testing light tackle beyond what their weight would suggest. They bite near oil rig
Oil rig
Oil rig may refer to* Drilling rig, an apparatus for on-land oil drilling* Oil platform, an apparatus for offshore oil drillingOIL RIG or OILRIG may refer to :...
s in the winter.
From 1997-2000, the fishing mortality rates increased sharply. However, an extensive study by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission concluded that as of 2005, the population of Florida pompano was healthy and that the fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
was sustainable with current practices.
External links
- Southern Regional Aquacultural Center (Texas A&M) Species Profile on Florida pompano 2007
- Smithsonian Marine Station page on Florida pompano
- 2002 article on age, growth and reproduction of Florida pompano
- ESPN page on Florida pompano
- Texas Parks and Wildlife page on Florida pompano
- MOTE marine laboratory research on Florida pompano aquaculture
- pompano recipes