Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–36 m.
Scientific name: Trachinotus falcatus · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 122 cm
The permit is a carangid whose adults are frequently found in channels or holes, over sandy flats, around reefs and at times over mud bottoms, usually solitary or in small schools, with smaller fish tolerating brackish water. They spawn offshore, and juveniles are found in large schools especially in the surf zone along sandy beaches. Adults feed on mollusks, crabs, shrimps and small fishes, while juveniles take benthic invertebrates. It is recorded from the surface down to 36 m. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts to south-eastern Brazil, including the Bahamas and many of the West Indies. Maximum length is about 122 cm fork length, commonly about 94 cm fork length, and it can live 23 years, maturing at about 54.7 cm. It is a commercial species, a commercial aquaculture species, a gamefish and a public aquarium fish, with a medium price category, and it is an excellent food fish and a highly esteemed game fish caught on light tackle. Fishing vulnerability is moderate at 42 of 100 and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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