Northern kingfish (Menticirrhus saxatilis) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of ≥ 10 m.
Scientific name: Menticirrhus saxatilis · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 46 cm
The northern kingfish is a demersal sciaenid whose adults occur usually in shallow coastal waters over sand to sandy mud bottoms, and it is common in the surf zone and in estuaries, with juveniles sometimes entering tidal rivers and creeks of low salinity. It feeds mainly on worms and crustaceans, and it is an excellent food fish. It is recorded from 10 m downwards, with no maximum depth recorded for it, and it also enters brackish water. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts to southern Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to Yucatan in Mexico. Maximum length is about 46 cm total length, commonly about 30 cm, and it can live four years, maturing at about 25.6 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 26 of 100 and resilience high, and climate vulnerability is moderate at 43 of 100. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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