Gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over estuary, mangrove, at depths of 0–50 m.
Scientific name: Bagre marinus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 69 cm
The gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus) is a marine catfish of the family Ariidae found in the western central Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, from Cape Cod south to Brazil, and it is generally common to abundant throughout that range. It is blue-grey to dark brown with a light belly, a deeply forked tail and venomous serrated spines, and its dorsal spine carries a distinctive fleshy extension that resembles the fore-and-aft topsail of a ship — the feature that gives the fish its name and separates it from the hardhead catfish. It feeds on crustaceans and other fish throughout the water column and is unusual among catfishes in that the male broods the fertilised eggs in his mouth until they hatch; it also enters brackish estuaries, lagoons and mangroves. It is a common catch in the southeastern United States, considered a strong fighter by anglers, and is taken from piers, jetties, reefs and the surf as well as by bottom fishing and flats fishing on hard lures, soft plastics, cut bait and live or dead shrimp. No specific fishing season is documented in the sources used here.
Caution: has venomous spines. Take great care when unhooking and handling; the sting is extremely painful.
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