Scup (Stenotomus chrysops) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of ≥ 15 m.
Scientific name: Stenotomus chrysops · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 46 cm
The scup is a demersal sparid that usually occurs in schools, moving between inshore and offshore waters, and it is recorded from 15 m downwards, with no maximum depth recorded. It feeds on amphipods, worms, sand dollars and young squid. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia in Canada to Florida in the United States, and it is rare south of North Carolina. Maximum length is about 46 cm total length, commonly about 25 cm, and it matures at about 15.5 cm. It is a commercial species, a gamefish and a public aquarium fish, utilized fresh, smoked and frozen, with a low price category. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 51 of 100 and resilience medium, and climate vulnerability is moderate at 40 of 100. IUCN lists it as near threatened.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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