denise
01-03-2009, 08:14 PM
The permit, Trachinotus falcatus, is a common game fish found in shallow waters throughout the western Atlantic Ocean, from Massachusetts to Brazil. In offshore areas, they live on wrecks and debris piles, inshore specimens live in seagrass beds, channels and sandy flats.
Permits are gray colored fish with silvery sides. They have an elongated dorsal fin, that is shaped like a scythe. Large schools or permit often feed near the surface, and a mass of protruding fins from the water is a common sight. They feed on sea urchins, crabs, shrimp, clams and small fish. They have a deeply forked tail, and their bodies are laterally compressed, making permits look tall and thin when viewed from the front. If they live to full size, they can weigh in at more than 50 pounds, and reach lengths of more than 3 feet! Specimens of 20 years and older have been caught by fishermen and scientists.
Permits have been long sought after and hunted as a gamefish. More than 100,000 permits have been landed per year in Florida since 1992. Permits inhabit the waters of South Florida year round, but only live in the waters around North and Central Florida during the warmer months. They are more abundant in South Florida, and they spawn around the Keys.
Currently there is not enough known about the permit to determine its population status.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/permitfishbob_1.jpg
Permit, Trachinotus falcatus, on Molasses Reef, Key Largo
Photo courtesy of Bob Rosell
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/permitsfontplay_1.jpg
School of Permits, Key Largo
Permits are gray colored fish with silvery sides. They have an elongated dorsal fin, that is shaped like a scythe. Large schools or permit often feed near the surface, and a mass of protruding fins from the water is a common sight. They feed on sea urchins, crabs, shrimp, clams and small fish. They have a deeply forked tail, and their bodies are laterally compressed, making permits look tall and thin when viewed from the front. If they live to full size, they can weigh in at more than 50 pounds, and reach lengths of more than 3 feet! Specimens of 20 years and older have been caught by fishermen and scientists.
Permits have been long sought after and hunted as a gamefish. More than 100,000 permits have been landed per year in Florida since 1992. Permits inhabit the waters of South Florida year round, but only live in the waters around North and Central Florida during the warmer months. They are more abundant in South Florida, and they spawn around the Keys.
Currently there is not enough known about the permit to determine its population status.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/permitfishbob_1.jpg
Permit, Trachinotus falcatus, on Molasses Reef, Key Largo
Photo courtesy of Bob Rosell
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/permitsfontplay_1.jpg
School of Permits, Key Largo