Atlantic butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 15–420 m.
Scientific name: Peprilus triacanthus · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 30 cm
The Atlantic butterfish is a benthopelagic stromateid that forms large schools over the continental shelf, descending to deeper water at the coldest time of year, and it is recorded from 15 to 420 m. Juveniles are generally found under floating weeds and jellyfish, it is often found in brackish water, and adults feed mainly on jellyfish, squids, arrow worms, crustaceans and worms. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Labrador to the Gulf coast of Florida, and it is absent from Bermuda and the Caribbean. Maximum length is about 30 cm total length, commonly about 20 cm, and it matures at about 12 cm. It is a commercial species and a gamefish, marketed fresh, smoked and frozen and mostly frozen for export to Japan, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is low at 21 of 100 and resilience high, and climate vulnerability is low at 22 of 100; no IUCN assessment is recorded for it.
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