The scup (''Stenotomus chrysops'') is a

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

which occurs primarily in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Along with many other fish of the family

Sparidae The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by ...

, it is also commonly known as porgy. Scup grow as large as 18 in (450 mm) and weigh 3 to 4 lb (2 kg), but they average 0.5–1.0 lb (0.25–0.50 kg). Scup can live up to 20 years; females can begin to reproduce at the age of two. Every year female scups lay approximately 7,000 eggs in sand and weed abundant areas. In the Middle Atlantic Bight, scup spawn along the inner

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

. Their

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. T ...

end up in inshore waters, along the coast and in

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

areas. At two to three years of age, they mature. Scup winter along the mid and outer continental shelf. When the temperature warms in the spring, they migrate inshore. They are fished for by both commercial and recreational fishermen. The scup fishery is one of the oldest in the United States, with records dating back to 1800. Scup was the most abundant fish in colonial times Fishermen began using trawls in 1929, which increased catches dramatically. The species was termed

overfished Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in ...

in 1996, and today there is evidence of a rebound. Today, scup are still caught primarily using an

otter trawl Bottom trawling is trawling (towing a trawl, which is a fishing net) along the seafloor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling. Benthic trawling is towin ...

Cuisine

The flesh is "firm and flaky", Alan Davidson, ''North Atlantic Seafood'', 1979, , p. 101 with a "sweet almost shrimplike flavor". Many consumers like their light flavor and they are characterized as

panfish The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational anglers to refer to a ...

. Popular methods of cooking include frying, broiling, and baking. Though the flesh is similar to that of more prestigious fish in the

sea bream The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated b ...

family like

daurade ''Acanthopagrus schlegelii'', commonly known as the blackhead seabream, Japanese black porgy or sea bream, is a fish often farmed for food in Japan. It is one of the most popular fishes for game fishing in Japan. The body is ovoid and compresse ...

and

orata The gilt-head (sea) bream (''Sparus aurata''), known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy and Tunisia (known as "Dorada" in Spain, "Dourada" in Portugal and "Dorade Royale" in France), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in t ...

, the names "scup" and "porgy" are sometimes considered unattractive, leading to

culinary name Culinary names, menu names, or kitchen names are names of foods used in the preparation or selling of food, as opposed to their names in agriculture or in scientific nomenclature. The menu name may even be different from the kitchen name. For ex ...

s like orata Americana and Montauk sea bream. Its similarity to ''

Pagrus major ''Pagrus major'' or red seabream is a fish species in the family Sparidae. It is also known by its Japanese name, madai. The fish has high culinary and cultural importance in Japan, and is also frequently eaten in Korea and Taiwan. Range and ...

'' and its mild and fatty characteristics makes it suitable for

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

Management

Scup are heavily fished commercially and recreationally. Management measures for the species generally include size limits, bag limits, fishing seasons, and equipment requirements. Scup are also managed through quotas that are separately regulated during the different seasons.Scup
''NOAA FishWatch''. Retrieved 5 November 2012. In Massachusetts, management plans result in the distribution of 78% of the yearly permitted harvest of scups for commercial purposes, and 22% for recreational fishing.

Fishing

Since scups are classified as anglers and tackle bait frantically, squid strips are the most common choice of bait because they stay intact and suspended on the hook after several strikes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2151537 Commercial fish Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Sparidae Fish described in 1766 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

Cuisine

Management

Fishing

See also

References