Squeteague (Cynoscion regalis) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 10–26 m.
Scientific name: Cynoscion regalis · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 98 cm
The squeteague is a demersal sciaenid that usually occurs in shallow coastal waters over sand and sandy mud bottoms, with juveniles that are euryhaline. The fish move to nursery and feeding grounds in river estuaries as the water warms, and they leave the estuaries again as temperatures fall, though they are also known to remain in these areas through the cold season; it has been reported that the fish cease feeding and die when the water temperature reaches 7.9 and 3.3 degrees Celsius respectively. It feeds mainly on crustaceans and fishes, and it is oviparous with high fecundity. It is recorded from 10 to 26 m, and it also enters brackish water. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to northern Florida, and it has been introduced in Europe. Maximum length is about 98 cm total length, commonly about 50 cm, and it matures at about 17.9 cm. It is a commercial species, a gamefish and a public aquarium fish, with a low price category. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 45 of 100 and resilience medium, and climate vulnerability is high at 58 of 100. IUCN lists it as endangered.
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