Spotted weakfish (Cynoscion nebulosus)

Scientific name: Cynoscion nebulosus Cuvier, 1830

The Spotted weakfish (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sciaenidae. Native range: Western Atlantic, New York to southern Florida in USA and the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Biology

Inhabits river estuaries and shallow coastal marine waters over sand bottoms, often associated with seagrass beds. Also occurs in salt marshes and tidal pools of high salinity. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and fishes. An important food and sport fish throughout its range. Utilized fresh for steaming, broiling and baking.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Cynoscion nebulosus
Family: Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 100.0
Common length: 36.0
Depth range: 10 m (33 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 10 - ? m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Western Atlantic: New York to southern Florida in USA and the entire Gulf of Mexico.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.2-0.3; tmax=18; tm=1; Fec=1 million)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026