Virginia Saltwater Fishing

The term panfish describes small fish, many of which are caught by recreational anglers for food. They are named because they are small enough to be cooked whole in a pan. Among the most popular saltwater panfish found in Virginia waters are croakers, spot, porgy, white perch and pigfish.

Atlantic Croaker or “hardhead” are popular panfish common in Virginia. The fish get their names because of the “croaking” noise they make when removed from the water. Croakers are hard fighters and prolific feeders. They are caught on a variety of baits and lures. They are among the first fish to be caught in the spring and are caught over a wide range of habitats. Croaker can be caught from piers, jetties, inlets, in bays and from the surf.

Croaker baits include shrimp, crabs, squid, cut fish, bloodworms and more. In addition to cut baits, croaker are caught on a variety of jigs and other saltwater lures. They can also be caught in the shallows and grass beds using fly fishing gear.

Spot are among the most popular Virginia panfish. Spot can be identified by the distinctive dark spot above the pectoral fin. The species is abundant in coastal bays, creeks and other estuaries. They are especially common around fishing piers where they are caught in large numbers. Spot are caught using small hooks and baits such as bloodworms, crab or other baits which can be presented in small pieces.

White perch are small but tenacious fish that are found in rivers, creeks and bays. White perch prefer brackish water but can live in environments that range from fresh water to fully saltwater. These hardy panfish are caught with small baits such as grass shrimp or bloodworms, or by casting artificial lures or flies. Perch can be caught year round, even thru ice. They school up to spawn in early spring and can be caught in large numbers.

Scup or porgy are another saltwater panfish. They range from New England to North Carolina and are occasional visitors to Virginia coastal waters, inland waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Adult scup feed in schools of similar-sized individuals around piers, rocks, offshore ledges, jetties, and mussel beds. They move inshore in summer but return to deeper waters offshore or migrate southward when temperatures cool. Large scup generally occur farther offshore than do smaller, younger ones.

Pigfish are colorful members of the grunt family. They are marked with a bluish upper and a silver lower body, with a series of attractive stripes on the sides and bands on the snout and head. The species ranges from Massachusetts through the Gulf of Mexico and are common in Virginia during the summer and early fall. They are easily caught around piers, reefs and rough bottoms using small pieces of bait such as bloodworms, crab, squid or shrimp.

A new climate-population model developed by NOAA scientists to study rising ocean temperatures and fishing rates on one East Coast fish population could also forecast the impact of climate change and fishing on other fisheries.

The model is one of the first to directly link a specific fish stock with climate change. In a paper in the March 2010 issue of the journal Ecology Applications published online by the Ecological Society of America, NOAA researchers forecast the future of the Atlantic croaker fishery in the mid-Atlantic under various climate and fishing scenarios.

Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) is a coastal marine fish inhabiting the east coast of the United States with an $8 million annual commercial fishery. Previous studies have shown a strong link between croaker abundance and winter temperatures.

“Some fish populations will increase and others decrease as a result of climate change,” said lead author Jon Hare of the

Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) laboratory in Narragansett, R.I. “Our results demonstrate that climate effects on fisheries must be identified and understood, included in the scientific advice to managers, and factored into fishery management plans if sustainable exploitation is to be achieved.”

For various temperature and fish population scenarios over the next 90 years to 2100, the researchers forecast that at current levels of fishing, the spawning population of Atlantic croaker would increase between 60 and 100%, the center of the population would shift 50 to 100 kilometers (roughly 30 to 65 miles) northward, and the maximum sustainable yield would increase 30 to 100%.

With ocean temperatures expected to increase through the 21st century, the researchers developed the population model for Atlantic croaker based on the hypothesis that recruitment, or survival of juveniles to adulthood, is determined by winter water temperature. Atlantic croaker spawn in the coastal ocean and larvae enter estuaries in Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, and Pamlico Sound 30 to 60 days after hatching. Juveniles spend their first winter in these estuarine nursery habitats.

Temperature during this winter period is very important to juvenile survival. Temperature forecasts were obtained from 14 General Circulation Models (GCMs) used by the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to simulate three carbon dioxide emission scenarios through 2100: atmospheric carbon dioxide fixed at 350 , 550 and 720 parts per million (ppm). By comparison, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in February 2010 was 389.91ppm.

Hare and colleagues from NOAA’s Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers, in collaboration with climate modelers from NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., linked the Atlantic croaker population model with forecasts of minimum winter temperature from the 14 GCMs. These linked modeling efforts provided estimates of the abundance, distribution, and yield of the Atlantic croaker population under different climate change scenarios and different fishing rates.

With increasing minimum winter temperatures, the NOAA model predicted that Atlantic croaker abundance will increase. Higher temperatures result in higher recruitment, which leads to a larger spawning stock. At current levels of fishing mortality, all 14 GCM models and all climate scenarios predicted higher population abundances than observed since the early 1970’s, when estimates of spawning stock were first developed. Even at higher fishing mortality rates, the models and climate scenarios predicted higher populations than observed in the past.

“Although our model does not include all potential environmental complexities, the recruitment hypothesis on which it is based is supported by both laboratory and field work, and is consistent with current fishery population models,” Hare said.

“The modeling work represents one of the first attempts to link a group of general circulation models to fish population models. The outputs from 14 GCM models are all consistent, so we have confidence in our long-term forecasts.”

This approach could be used for other species where an environmental link to population dynamics is established.

“Most stock assessments that inform fishery management decisions do not include the effect of a changing environment because they are conducted annually or every few years and do not provide a long-term view,” said Hare. “Understanding and quantifying the effect of climate change on populations, in combination with the effect of exploitation, is a major challenge to rebuilding and maintaining sustainable fisheries in the coming decades.”

Another challenge is developing climate models that forecast on shorter timer scales than the current 50 to 100 years.

source: NOAA press release

Spot

Spot are named and identified by the distinctive dark spot above the pectoral fin. The species is also known as lafayette, goody, or Norfolk spot. Spot are common from Cape Cod to Florida and through the Gulf of Mexico. Spot rarely exceed 10 inches in length, making them highly sought after as live baits. These fish are abundant in the Chesapeake Bay, coastal bays, rivers, creeks and other estuaries of Virginia.

Atlantic Croaker

The Atlantic croaker, also known as croaker or hardhead are a common bait for sea trout, striped bass and for offshore fishing. Croaker usually arrive in large numbers in summer, moving into the ocean in fall.

Pinfish

Pinfish, also known as sailor’s choice, or pin perch is sometimes caught It ranges from Massachusetts through the Gulf of Mexico, being more abundant from Virginia south. Pinfish are known to coastal anglers as a “bait stealer,” but are sought after as a live bait for other larger fish. Pinfish are  Pinfish are typically 4-8 inches in length.

Pigfish

Pigfish are colorful members of the grunt family. They are marked with a bluish upper and a silver lower body. Each scale has a blue center and bronze edge, which forms a series of yellow-brown stripes on the sides and sometimes exhibits orange bands on the snout and head. The full range of pigfish extends from Massachusetts through the Gulf of Mexico, although they are rare north of Virginia. Pigfish make excellent live baits for striped bass, cobia, sharks and other species.

Silver Perch

Silver perch, also known as silver croaker ranges from New York southward through the Gulf of Mexico to northern Mexico. Because of its relatively small size, the silver perch are popular as a live bait species but is occasionally harvested for the table.

Striped Mullet

Striped mullet are common in the back bays, creeks and in the surf. Immature mullet are 3 to 8 inches long, making an excellent choice for live bait. The fish have a rounded, silvery body, dark bluish green back and dark stripes on the sides, and a small mouth. Striped mullet can often be seen jumping to evade predators.

Atlantic Menhaden

The Atlantic menhaden is a toothless herring with a blue, blue-green or blue-brown body. The sides, fins and belly are silvery, often with a yellowish sheen. Menhaden are a favorite prey of many predatory fish and other species, including bluefish, weakfish, striped bass and others. Small menhaden can be caught in creeks, sheltered coves and canals using cast nets or seines.

Atlantic Herring

The Atlantic herring is one of the most abundant species of fish on the planet . They are small, pelagic fish known for their schooling tendencies. Herring are iridescent, greenish or grayish blue dorsally with a silvery abdomen and sides. They can occasionally be caught in the late winter or early spring using jigs and make excellent baits for predatory fish found off the coast of Virginia.

Atlantic Silverside

Atlantic silversides live in small creeks and shallow areas. They are an important forage fish for predators such as striped bass, bluefish, weakfish and Spanish mackerel. Silversides are caught with seines, traps or small mesh cast nets. Their small size makes them difficult to fish as live baits but the results can be well worth the effort.