Silver Perch

Bairdiella chrysoura has a moderately large, obliquely rising terminal mouth. The lower jaw projects further than the upper jaw. The chin does not bear a barbel but has three pairs of mental pores (the arrangement of the barbels and under-chin pores provides a means to distinguish between different members of the family Sciaenidae). The preopercle, the bony plate just in front of the operculum, bears a few spines set at an angle. The dorsal fin has ten to eleven spines and nineteen to twenty-three soft rays. The anal fin has two spines, the second of which is sharp and more than two thirds the length of the first soft ray, and eight to ten soft rays.

Bairdiella chrysoura are native to the east coast of the North America. Its range extends from New York to Mexico. They are found inshore in seagrass beds, tidal creeks and rivers, and marshes.

Bairdiella chrysoura spawns in shallow, saline portions of bays and other inshore areas, peaking between May and September. Silver perch mature by second or third year (by 6 inches). Adults eat crustaceans and small fishes. They may live to 6 years.