Black Sea Bass

Centropristis striata

The black sea bass has an elongated, blue-black body. Adults have:

• A pale blue center on each scale, which look like horizontal lines running along the back and sides.
• Blue streaks below the eyes.
• A striped or spotted dorsal fin with fleshy tips at the end of each spine.
• Three points on the tail fin. The top point is the longest, and the tail fin is rounded in between each point.
• Usually grow to about 12 inches long.

Where do black sea bass live?

Black sea bass are found from spring through late autumn in the middle to lower Bay, as far north as Solomons Island, Maryland. They are solitary fish that hover around wrecks, jetties, pilings and rocky bottoms. In the winter, black sea bass leave the Bay for southern offshore waters.

What do black sea bass eat?

Black sea bass are visual, daytime feeders on:

• Crabs
• Mussels
• Razor clams
• Other fishes

How do black sea bass reproduce?

Black sea bass spawning begins around June in the coastal ocean waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, primarily between the Chesapeake and Long Island.

• The lower Bay is an important nursery and feeding ground for young black sea bass.
• Juveniles may enter the Bay during spring, summer and fall and remain until December, living among bay grasses and feeding on tiny crustaceans.

Other facts about black sea bass:

• After spawning, larger females reverse sex and become males.
• When taken out of the water, black sea bass lose their brilliant blue color and turn a dull black and white.