REFERENCE COPY 

p 

Do Not Remove from the Librarv 

. . 

Biological Report 82(11.20) National Wetlands Research Center TR EL-82-4 

March 1986 700 Cajun Dome Boulet~ard 

Lafayette, Louisiana 70506 

Species Profiles: Life Histories and 

Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes 

and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico) 

SHEEPSHEAD 

Coastal Ecology Group 

Fish and Wildlife Service Waterways Experiment Station 

U.S. Department of. the Interior U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
This is one of the first reports to be published in the new "Biological 

Report" series. This technical report series, pub1 i shed by the Research 

and Development branch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, replaces 

the "FWS/OBS1' series published from 1976 to September 1984. The Biological Report series is designed for the rapid publication of reports with 

an application orientation, and it continues the focus of the FWS/OBS 

series on resource management i ssues and f i sh and wi 1 dl i fe needs. 
Biological Report 82(11.29) 

TR EL-82-4 

March 1985 

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements 

of Coast a1 Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico) 

SHEEPSHEAD 

Cecil A. Jennings 

P.O. Drawer LW 

Department of Wildl ife & Fisheries 

Mississippi State University 

Mississippi State, MS 39762 

, Project Manager 

Larry Shanks 

Project Officer 

John Parsons 

National Coast a1 Ecosystems Term 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

1010 Gause Boulevard 

Slide1 1. LA 70458 

Performed for 

Coastal Ecology Group 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Waterways Experiment Station 

Vicksburg , MS 39180 

and 

National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

Division of Biological Services 

Research and Development 

Fish and Wildl ife Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Washington, DC 20240 
This series should be referenced as follows: 

1J.S. Fish and Wildl ife Service. 1983-19-. Species profiles: life histories 

and envi ronmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates. U.S. 

Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL82-4. 

This profile should be cited as follows: 

Jennings, C .A. 1985. Species profiles: 1 i fe hi stories and environmental 

requirements of coastal fi shes and invertebrates (Gul f of Mexico) -- sheepshead. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11.29). U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 10 pp. 
PREFACE 

This species profile is one of a series on coastal aquatic organisms, 

principally fish, of sport, commercial, or ecological importance. The profiles 

are designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a brief 

comprehensive sketch of the bi 01 og ical characteristics and environmental requirements of the species and to describe how populations of the species may be 

expected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Each 

profile has sections on taxonomy, 1 i fe history, ecol ogical role, environmental 

requirements, and economic importance, if applicable. A three-ring binder is 

used for this series so that new profiles can be added as they are prepared. This 

project is jointly planned and financed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Suggestions or questions regarding this report should be directed to one 

of the fol 1 owing addresses. 

Information Transfer Special ist 

National Coastal Ecosys tems Team 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

NASA-Sl idel 1 Computer Compl ex 

1010 Gause Boulevard 

Sl idel 1 , LA 70458 

U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station 

Attention: WESER-C 

Post Office Box 631 

Vicksburg, MS 39180 
CONTENTS 

Page 

PREFACE .............................................................. iii 

CONVERSION TABLE ................................................... v 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................... vi 

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE .......................................... 1 

MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS ....................................... 1 

REASON FOR IIICLUSION IN THE SERIES .................................. 3 

LIFE HISTORY ......................................................... 3 

Spawning ........................................................... 3 

Larvae ............................................................. 3 

Juveniles .......................................................... 4 

!digration .......................................................... 4 

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS ............................................... 5 

FISHERY .............................................................. 5 

ECOLOGICAL ROLE ...................................................... 5 

DISEASE AND PARASITES ................................................ 6 

ENVIRONFlENTAL REQUIREMENTS ........................................... 6 

Temperature and Sal i ni ty ........................................... 6 

Other Environmental Factors ........................................ 6 

LITERATURE CITED ..................................................... 8 
CONVERSION TABLE 

Metric to U.S. Customary 

Mu1 tiply 

mil 1 imeters (m) . 

centimeters (an) 

meters (m) 

ki 1 ometers ( km) 

2 

square meters (m ) 10.76 

square ki 1 meters ( km2) 0.3861 

hectares (ha) 2.471 

To Obtain 

inches 

inches 

feet 

mi 1 es 

square feet 

square miles 

acres 

1 i ters ( 1 ) 

cubic meters (m3) 

cubic meters 

0.2642 gal 1 ons 

35.31 cubic feet 

0.00081 10 acre-feet 

mil 1 igrams (mg) 0.00003527 ounces 

grams (g) 0.03527 ounces 

kilograms (kg) 2.205 pounds 

metric tons (t) 2205.0 pounds 

metric tons 1.102 short tons 

ki 1 ocal ories ( kcal ) 3.968 British thermal units 

Celsius degrees 1.8(OC) + 32 Fahrenheit degrees 

U.S. Customary to Metric 

inches 25.40 

inches 2.54 

feet (ft) 0.3048 

fa thoms 1.829 

miles (mi) 1.609 

nautical miles (mi) 1.852 

square feet (ft2) 

acres 2 

square miles (mi ) 

gal 1 ons ( gal ) 

cubic feet (ft3) 

acre-feet 

ounces (02) 28.35 

pounds (Ib) 0.4536 

short tons (ton) 0.9072 

British thermal units ( Btu) 0.2520 

mil 1 imeters 

centimeters 

meters 

meters 

kil ometers 

ki 1 oneters 

square meters 

hectares 

square ki 1 ometers 

1 i ters 

cubic meters 

cubic meters 

grams 

ki1 ograms 

metric tons 

ki 1 ocal ories 

Fahrenheit degrees 0.5556(OF - 32) Celsius degrees 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The author is grateful for the reviews by Bennie A. Rohr, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, Pascagoula, Mississippi, and by Thomas D. 

McI1 wain, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. 
Figure 1. Sheepshead. 

SHEEPSHEAD 

Scientific name ............. Archosargus 

probatocephal us 

Preterred Common hame. ...... .Sheepshead 

Other Common Names.. .......... .English: 

Sheepshead bream, sheepshead porgie, 

convict fish; French: Rondeau 

mouton; Spanish: Sargo chopa, pargo 

Class.. .................. ..Osteichthyes 

Order ....................... Perciformes 

Family ......................... Sparidae 

Geographic range: The sheepshead 

(Figure 1) is common along the 

Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts 

(Figure 2) of the United 

States, from Cape Cod to 

Texas (Bigelow and Schroeder 

1953). It has been reported 

from Nova Scotia (Gilhen et 

al. 1976) to Rio de Janeiro 

(Randall et al. 1978). The 

sheepshead is divided in to 

three subspecies: A. p. 

probatocephal us, the nrr t h e7n 

torm, is distributed from Nova 

Scotia to Cedar Key, Florida; A. 

p. oviceps ranees in the Gulf Tf 

FlexEFFGm St. Marks, Florida to 

the Campeche Bank, Mexico; and A. 

P aries, the southern foriii, 

7angestrom Belize to Bahia de 

Sepetiba, Brazil (Caldwell 1965; 

Randall et al. 1978; Burgess 

1980). 

lilORPHOLOGY/ IDENTIFICATION AIDS 

Morphological descriptions and 

identification aids for the sheepshead 

in this report were largely extracted 

from Hi 1 debrand and Schroeder (192 7) , Hoese and Moore (1977), and Johnson 

(1978). The primary counts of fin rays 

are as follows: Dorsal-XI1 (spiny 

rays), 10-12 (soft rays); and anal111, 10-11 respectively. There are 

44-49 scales in the lateral line and 8 

scales above and 15 below the lateral 

line at the insertion of the dorsal 

fin. The body is deep and compressed 

and the back is elevated above the 

short and deep head. The snout is 

short, 2.1 to 2.6 times in head length; 

the eye is 2.75 to 4.55 in head length. 

The mouth is moderate and nearly 

horizontal, 2.7 to 3.3 times in head 

1 engt h. The incisor-1 ike anterior 

teeth and broad posterior molars are 

strong. Gill rakers are short, with 

six to seven on the lower limb of the 

first arch. Scales are finely serrate. 

The dorsal fin has strong spines; the 

spinous portion is longer than the soft 

portion. The caudal fin has a shallow 

fork. The second spine of the anal fin 

is enlarged. The pectoral fins are 

long, 2.7 to 3.7 times in standard 

1 ength (SL) . 

The adult sheepshead is gray to 

greenish-yellow and has five to seven 

vertical black crossbars along the 

body. Crossbars are more distinct in 

young specimens. The dorsal, anal, and 

ventral fins are mostly dusky to black; 

the caudal and pectoral fins are 

greenish. 

The sheepshead is a relatively 

popular sport fish in much of its 

range (McClane 1964) and usually can 

be caught throughout the year in the 

Gulf of Mexico and its estuaries 

(Perret 1971). It has some commercial 

value for food (Hildebrand and 

Schroeder 1927; Perlmutter 1961; 

Burgess 1980), but its acceptance as a 

food fish varies among coastal states. 

In A1 abama, and probably the other 

gulf states as we1 1, more sheepshead 

could be caught without endangering 

their abundance (Swingle 1977). 

Information on the biology and 

popul at ion dynamics of the sheepshead 

is scarce. 

LIFE HISTORY 

Spawn i ng 

Sheepshead probably spawn in 

spring in mid-At 1 antic coastal waters 

(Jordan and Evermann 1896; Hildebrand 

and Cable 1938; Springer and Woodburn 

1960) and in the Mississippi Sound 

(Christmas and Wal ler 1973). Spawning 

probably takes pl ace off shore because 

larvae and ripe adults are scarce in 

spring in shallow beach waters and 

estuaries (Hi Tdebrand and Cable 1938; 

Springer and Woodburn 1960). 

Sheepshead tend to congregate in 

nearshore waters of the gulf in March, 

April, and May (Swingle 1977). Adults 

migrate to offshore waters to spawn in 

spring and later return to nearshore 

waters and estuaries. 

Sheepshead eggs are about 0.8 mm 

in diameter (Rathburn 1892), are 

buoyant, and hatch in about 40 hours 

at water temperatures near 25°C 

(Rathburn 1892; Smi th 1907). 

Larvae 

The data on larvae in this section 

are largely taken from Mook (1977). 

His findings are the result of his 

examinations of specimens from the 

col lection of the Florida Department of 

Natural Resources Marine Laboratory. 

Yo'lk-sac larvae are about 2.0 to 

4.5 mm long (Johnson 1978) and have a 

median fin fold (Mook 1977). The 

caudal fin is the first of the median 

fins to form, becoming apparent in 

larvae 3 mn long as ray elements in the 

post-ventral part of the fin fold. The 

caudal and anal fins are well developed 
in larvae 4-mm long. The pectorals, 

the first paired fins to develop, 

appear as small fin buds in 2-mm long 

larvae and have developed ray elements 

in larvae 4 mm long. Yo1 k-sac 

larvae of sheepshead have about 24 

myomeres (successive muscl e segments) . 

Pigmentation in yolk-sac larvae 

is limited to one small melanophore at 

the angle of the jaw and three 

melanophores along the ventral side of 

the body posterior to the vent. Some 

individuals may have one or two small 

melanophores on the yolk sac. Most 

melanophores disappear in larvae 6 mm 

1 ong (Mook 19 77). 

The morphological development of 

larval sheepshead (5 to 25 mm long) is 

similar to that of other perciform 

fishes, but they attain adult 

characteristics at a smaller size than 

do other sparid fishes (Mook 1977). At 

6 mm, body depthllength ratio is 3.4, 

head lengthlbody length ratio is 3.0, 

and the snout lengthlhead length ratio 

is 4.2 (Hildebrand and Cable 1938; 

Johnson 1978). The caudal fin is well 

devel oped (Hi 1 debrand and Cab1 e. 1938) , and the dorsal fin has 7 spines and 12 

soft rays. 

Pigment at ion of the body of 

larval sheepshead is brownish with a 

median ventral line. There are three 

black spots -- one behind the isthmus, 

one below the base of the pectoral fin, 

and one a short distance anterior to 

the anal fin (Hildebrand and Cable 

1938). Two dark specks are located at 

the base of the anal fin as well 

(Hildebrand and Cable 1938, Johnson 

1978). 

Most evi dence suggests that 

sheepshead eggs hatch in offshore 

waters and that the larvae or 

postlarvae move inshore a1 ong beaches, 

and into estuaries (Hi1 debrand and 

Cable 1938; McClane 1964; Burgess 

- 1980). Ostracods constitute much of 

the diet of sheepshead less than 30 mm 

long (Hildebrand and Cable 1938). 

Juveni 1 es 

The dorsal and anal spines of 

juvenile sheepshead (25 to 30 mm long) 

are similar to those of adults 

(Hi ldebrand and Cable 1938; Johnson 

1978). The caudal fin is forked and 

the lateral line is fully developed. 

The pectoral fins become larger and 

oblique instead of rounded as in 

smaller fish (Hi ldebrand and Cable 

1938). Juvenile sheepshead are most 

abundant in grass flats and over mud 

bottoms (Hi ldebrand and Cable 1938; 

McClane 1964; Burgess 1980). In late 

summer, when juveniles are about 40 mm 

long, they begin leaving the grass 

flats (Hildebrand and Cable 1938; 

Johnson 1978) and congregate with 

adults around stone jetties, 

breakwaters, piers, and wrecks 

(Hi ldebrand and Cable 1938; LaMonte 

1952; McClane 1964; Mook 1977; Burgess 

1980; Juneau and Pol 1 ard 1981). 

Juvenile sheepshead c o l l e c t e d on 

grass flats had eaten primarily 

copepods and f i 1 amentous a1 gae 

(Hi ldebrand and Cable 1938). 

Sheepshead that inhabited areas with 

structures (e.g., pi1 ings and jetties) 

fed primarily on mollusks and 

crustaceans (Hi ldebrand and Cable 1938; 

LaMonte 1952; Randall et al. 1978). 

Migration 

Sheepshead are not a true 

migratory species (Gilhen et a1 . 1976) -- their movements are primarily 

offshore and inshore. In Texas and 

Louisiana they move offshore with the 

onset of cool weather in late fall 

(Gunter 1945; Kelly 1965). In winter, 

high concentrations of sheepshead have 

been reported at depths of 7 to 12 

fathoms near oil platforms and 

artificial reefs off the Mississippi 

River Delta and the Mississippi and 

Alabama coasts (Bennie A. Rohr, 

National Marine Fisheries Service, 

Pascagoul a, Mississippi; pers. corn. 

1983). Sheepshead overwinter in 

offshore gulf waters and spawn in 

spring. After spawning, they 
apparently return to nearshore waters. 

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS 

The sheepshead grows and matures 

slowly (Hi ldebrand and Cable 1938; 

Johnson 1978). No published datz were 

found on growth beyond age group 0 or 

on size at maturity. Springer and 

Woodburn (1960) reported that the 

average total lengths (TL) for 

young-of-the-year in the Tampa Bay area 

were 21, 29, and 42 mn long in June, 

July, and August, respectively. 

The heaviest sheepshead recorded 

weighed 66 kg (Hildebrand and Schroeder 

1927; Perlmutter 1961). Large 

sheepshead in the Chesapeake Bay area 

ranged from 11 to 33 kg (Hildebrand 

and Schroeder 1927). Near Beaufort, 

North Carolina, most sheepshead caught 

by anglers were 280-380 mm long and 

weighed 0.5 - 1 kg.. Individuals up to 

500 mrn and 2.3 kg sometimes were caught 

(Hildebrand and Cable 1938). A 

sheepshead weighing about 5.4 kg is 

considered 1 arge a1 ong the Mi ss i ss i pp i 

coast; they are larger in Louisiana 

(Bennie A. Rohr, National Marine 

Fisheries Service, Pascagoul a, 

Mississippi; pers. comm. 1983). 

FISHERY 

In 1964, sheepshead constituted 

15% of the brackish water fish caught 

in the Mobile Delta by sport fishermen 

(Swingle et al. 1966). In 1975, about 

64% of the sheepshead landed in A1 abama 

were taken by sport fishermen (Wade 

1977). In 1979, 1.8 mi 11 ion sheepshead 

were caught in the Gulf of Mexico by 

sport fishermen (National Marine Fisheries Service 1981). The sport fishery 

for sheepshead probably produces a 

major portion of the total landings of 

sheepshead in the Gulf States. 

Commerci a1 1 y, most sheepshead are 

accidently caught by shrimp trawlers 

and di scarded (Swi ngl e 19 77; Benson 

1982), but some are taken intentionally 

for the market in March, April, and 

Flay. Sheepshead are a1 so caught with 

bottom 1 ongl ines, seines, and trammel 

nets (Randal 1 et a1 . 19 78; Tarver and 

Savoie 1976; Juneau 1975; Christmas and 

Wal ler 1973). In some years, sheepshead compose up to 12% of the finfish 

biomass taken in 12-m trawls off the 

Flissi ssi ppi and Alabama coasts during 

the National tlarine Fisheries Service 

spring groundfish survey (Bennie A. 

Rohr , National Marine F i s h e r i es Service, Pascagoul a, Mi sssi ssi ppi ; pers. 

comm. 1983). 

' Commercial catches of sheepshead 

were largest in Florida and Alabama in 

1981, and in Texas and Louisiana in 

1982 (Table 1) (National Marine Fisheries Service 1983). From 1971 to 

1982, annual commercial 1 andi ngs of 

sheepshead in the northern Gulf of 

Mexico (including Florida's east coast) 

was about 453.6 tons (t) (National 

Marine Fisheries Service 1983). The 

northern gulf landings (Table 1) were 

554 t valued at $246,500 in 1981 and 

558 t valued at $225,300 in 1982 

(National Marine Fisheries Service 

1983). 

Sheepshead landi ngs decl i ned in 

the Gulf States from about 1 million 1b 

in 1939 to a low of 572,000 lb in 1965 

(Gunter 1945; Lyles 1967; Christmas and 

Wal ler 1973). This decline was attributed more to reduced fishing intensity than to a reduction in available 

stocks. Landing statistics from 1971 

to 1982 support this conclusion 

(Perret 19 71; Christmas and Wall er 

1973). 

ECOLOGICAL ROLE 

Sheepshead are omnivorous, and 

often eat plant material as well as 

invertebrates and small vertebrates 

that inhabit shal low, inshore brackish 

waters (Hi ldebrand and -Cable 1938; 

Gunter 1945; Darnel 1 1961; Johnson 
Table 1. Commercial sheepshead landings in the Gulf States, 1981-82 (National 

Flari ne Fisheries Service 1983). 

Value Value 

Weight (thousands of Weight (thousands of 

State (t) do1 1 ars) ( t ) do1 1 ars) 

Florida 253 $139.3 7 7 $ 43.3 

A1 abama 111 36.0 132 43.8 

Mississippi 80 24.4 68 21.7 

Louisiana 5 9 27.7 13 5 36.9 

Texas 5 1 19.1 146 79.6 

Gulf Tot a1 554 246.5 558 225.3 

1978; Kelly 1965; Odum et al. 1982; 

Overstreet and Heard 1982). The diet of 

1 arval, juvenile, and adult sheepshead 

was summari zed by Benson ( 1982). 

Sheepshead larvae usually eat copepods, 

amphipods, and other zoopl ankton. 

Small juveniles eat copepods, mysids, 

polychaetes, and chironomi d 1 arvae; 

and large juveniles and adults eat 

blue crabs, barnacles, young oysters, 

clams, other mol lusks and crustaceans, 

and small fish -- primari ly young 

At1 antic croakers (Odum et a1 . 1982). 

The role of the sheepshead in the 

trophic dynamics of estuaries has not 

been well documented. 

DISEASE AND PARASITES 

Sheepshead are hosts of ciliates 

(Overstreet and Howse 1977), nematodes 

(Norris and Overstreet 1975) , trematodes (Sparks 1957; Hendrix and Overstreet 1977; Deardorff and Overstreet 

1981), and isopods (Overstreet 19781, 

none of which are known to endanger 

populations of the species. 

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS 

Temperature and Sal i ni ty 

Sheepshead have been col1 ected 

from water at temperatures of 5" 

(Christmas and Val ler 19 73; Perret 

19 71) to 35. 1°C (Johnson 19 78). Juveniles and adults were collected in gulf 

waters with a temperature range of 8.0" 

to 29.6OC. Dunham (1972) and Tarver 

and Savoie (1976) collected sheepshead 

from the Lake Pontchartrai n-Lake 

Maurepas estuarine complex in water 

temperatures of 10" to 34.9"C. 

Sheepshead are euryhal i ne' (Gunter 

1956) and have been collected in water 

at salinities of 5.3 to 25.0 ppt 

(Perret and Caillouet 1974), 2.9 to 

22.5 ppt (Dunham 1972), 0.1 to 9.3 ppt 

(Juneau 19 75), 0.0 to 30.0 ppt (Perret 

1971), 0.0 to 9.9 ppt (Tarver and 

Savoie 1976), and 0.0 to 1.5 ppt (Kelly 

1965). 

No information on lethal upper and 

lower thermal limits for larvae, 

juveniles, or adults has been reported. 

In the Lake Pontchartrain-Lake Maurepas 

estuarine complex, sheepshead were most 

abundant at temperatures of 30" to 35°C 

and salinities of 5 to 10 ppt (Tarver 

and Savoie 1976). 

Other Environmental Factors 

Young juveniles commonly live in 

grass f 1 ats over mud bottoms, whereas 

adults and older juveniles usually 

congregate on the bottom or along the 

shore near rocks, pilings, breakwaters, 
jetties, and piers. and closed canals in coastal Louisiana 

(Adkins and Bowman 1976), but the 

Sheepshead were ki lled during minimal dissolved oxygen tolerances for 

severe oxygen depl et i on in semi -open sheepshead are unknown. 
LITERATURE CITED 

Adkins, G., and P. Bowman. 1976. A 

study of the fauna in dredged 

canals of coastal Louisiana. La. 

Wildl. Fish. Comm. Tech. Bull. No. 

18. 72 pp. 

Benson, N. G., ed. 1982. Life history 

requirements of selected finfish 

and shellfish in Mississippi Sound 

and adjacent areas. U.S. Fish. 

Wi ldl . Serv. FWSIOBS-81/51. 97 

PP 

Bigelow, H. B., and W. C. Schroeder. 

1953. Fishes of the Gulf of 

Maine. U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv. 

Fish Bull. 53:l-577. 

Burgess, G. H. 1980. Sheepshead. 

Page 754 in 0. S. Lee, ed. Atlas 

of North American freshwater 

fishes. Pub1 . No. 1980-12. 

North Carolina State Mus. Nat. 

Hist., Raleigh. 854 pp. 

Caldwell, D. K. 1965. Systematics and 

variation in the sparid fish 

Archosargus probatocephalus. Bull. 

South Car Acad. Sci . 64(2) ~89-100. 

Christmas, J. Y., and R. S. Waller. 

1973. Estuarine vertebrates, 

Mississippi. Page 320-406 in J.Y. 

Christmas, ed. Cooperative Gulf of 

Mexico estuarine inventory and 

study, Mi ssi ssi ppi . Gul f Coast 

Res. Lab., Ocean Springs, Miss. 

Darnell, R. M. 1961. Trophic spectrum 

of an estuarine community based on 

studies of Lake Pontchartrain, 

Louisiana. Ecology 42 (3) : 

553-568. 

Deardorff, T. L., and R. M. Overstreet. 

1981. Review of Hysterothyl aci um 

and Iheringascaris (both 

previ ousl~ynnascaris) 

(Nematoda:Anisakidae)7rom the 

Northern Gulf of Mexico. Proc. 

Biol . Soc. Wash. 93(4): 

1035-1079. 

Dunham, F. 1972. A study of 

commerci a1 ly important estuarine 

dependent industri a1 fishes. La. 

Wildl. Fish. Comm. Tech. Bull. No. 

4. 63pp. 

Gilhen, J., C. G. Gruchy, and D. E. 

McAl 1 ister. 1976. The 

sheepshead, Archosargus 

probatocephal us, and the teather 

blenny, Hypsobrennius hentzi, two 

additions to the ~anadiiantic 

ichthyof auna. Can. Field Nat. 

90 : 42-46. 

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Univ. Tex. 1( 1) : 1-190. 

Gunter, G. 1956. A revised list of 

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America. Am. Mid1 . Nat. 

56(2) : 345-354. 

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1977. Marine aspi dogastr i ds 

(Trematoda) from fishes in the 

northern Gulf of Mexico. J. 

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1938. Further notes on the 

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some teleosts at Beaufort, N.C. 

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366 pp. 

Hoese, H. D., and R. H. Moore. 1977. 

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Texas, Louisiana, and adjacent 

waters. -Texas A&M University 

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Johnson, D. G. 1978. Development of 

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an atlas of egg, larval, and 

juvenile stages. Vol. 4. 

Carangidae through Ephippidae. 

U.S. Fish Wildl . Serv. FWSIOBS78/12. 311 pp. 

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1896. The fishes of North and 

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1981. A survey of the 

recreational shrimp and finfish 

harvest of the Vermilion Bay area 

and their impact on commercial 

fishery resources. La. Dep. 

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40 PP. 

Kelly, J. R. 1965. A taxonomic survey 

of the fishes of Delta National 

Wildlife Refuge with emphasis upon 

distribution and abundance. M.S. 

'rhesi s. Louisiana St ate 

University, Baton Rouge. 133 pp. 

LaMonte, F. 1952. Marine game fishes 

of the world. Doubleday Nature 

Guide, Doubleday and Co., Inc., 

Garden City, N.Y. 190 pp. 

Lyles, C. H. 1967. Fishery 

statistics of the United States, 

1965. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., 

Fish. Stat. Dig. 59. 363- pp. 

McClane, A. J. ed. 1964. McClane8s 

standard fishing encyclopedia. 

Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, New 

York. 105 7 pp. 

Mook, D. 1977. Larval and 

osteological development of the 

sheepshead Archosargus 

probatocephal us (Pisces:bparidae). 

Copeia 19//(1) :126-133. 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

1981. Current fishery 

statistics No. 8100, 1980. U.S. 

Dep. ' Commer., Natl . Oceanogr. 

Atmos. Admi n. 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

1983. Landings data: Jan. 1971 

through Dec. 1981. 19 pp. 

Norris, D. E., and R. M. Overstreet. 

1975. Thynnascaris re1 iquens N. 

and T. habena (Linton 1900) 

(Nemat5da:mdoidea) from 

fishes in the northern Gulf of 

Mexico and eastern U.S. seaboard. 

J. Parasitol. 61(2) :330-336. 

Odum, W. E., C. C. McIvor, and T. J. 

Smith 111. 1982. The ecology of 

the mangroves of south Florida: 

a community profile. U.S. Fish 

Wi 1 dl . Serv. FWS/OBS-81/24. 144 

PP* 

Overstreet, R. M. 1978. Marine 

maladies? Worms, germs, and other 

symbionts from the northern Gulf 

of Mexico. Miss.-Ala. Publ. 

Ocean Springs, Miss. MASGP78-021. 140 pp. 

Overstreet, R. M., and R. W. Heard. 

1982. Food contents of six 

commercial fishes from Mississippi 

Sound. Gulf Res. Rep. 

7 (2) : 137-149. 

Overstreet, R. M., and H. D. Howse. 

1977. Some parasites and diseases 

of estuarine fishes in polluted 
habitats of Mississippi. Annu. 

N.Y. Acad. Sci. 298:427-426. 

Perlmutter, A. 1961. Guide to marine 

fishes. Bramhall House, New 

York. 431 pp. 

Perret, W. S. 1971. Cooperative Gulf 

of Mexico estuarine inventory 

study. Phase 4, Biology. Pages 

31-69. La. Wildl. Fish. Comm. 

171 pp. 

Perret, W. S., and C. W. Caillouet, Jr. 

1974. Abundance and size of 

fishes taken by trawling in 

Vermilion Bay, Louisiana. Bull. 

Mar. Sci. 24(10):52-74. 

Randall, J. E., B. Bishop, and R. 

Vergaro. 19 78. SPARID Archo. 

Page 12 in E. Fischer, ed. FA0 

species identification sheets for 

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Atlantic (fishing area 31). Vol. 

5. Food Agric. Organ. U.N., Rome, 

Italy. 

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Geol. Econ. Surv. 2:l-453. 

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trematodes of fishes of Grand 

Isle, Louisiana. La. Acad. Sci. 

20:71-82. 

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1960. An ecological study of the 

fishes of the Tampa Bay area. Fl a. 

Board Conserv. Mar. Lab. Prof. 

Pap. Ser. 1. 104 pp. 

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resources of A1 abama. Ala. Mar. 

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M. Scott, Jr. 1966. Statistics 

of the sport fishery of the Mobile 

Delta during the period of July 1, 

1963 to June 30, 1964. Proc. 

Southeast. Assoc. Game Fish. Comm. 

19:439-446. 

Tarver, J. W., and L. B. Savoie. 

1976. An inventory and study of 

the Lake Pontchartrain-Lake 

Maurepas estuarine complex. 

Phase 11 Biology. La. Wildl. 

Fish. Comm. Tech. Bull. 

19: 7-99. 

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A1 abama marine recreational 

fishery. Ala. Mar. Res. Bull. 

12: 1-22. 
- 

7. Authods) 8. hrformiw 0-anization Rept. NO. 

Ceci 1 A. Jenni ngs - 

9. Performiw 0-anization Name and Address Proioct/TaskIWork Unit no. 

50171 -101 

MS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

P.O. Drawer BX 

Mississippi State University 

Mississippi State, MS 39762 

. 

11. Contract(C) or Grant(G) No. 

(C) 

(G) 

S. Ruipiont's &cession no. 

Rema Oate 

March 1985 6. 

REPORT WCUMENTATION 2. 

PAGE 

1 16. Abstract (Limit: 200 words) 

Species profiles are 1 i terature summaries of the taxonomy, morphol ogy, range, life 

hi story, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. They are prepared to 

assist in environmental impact statements. The sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephal us, 

contributes moderately to the mu1 ti-mil 1 ion do1 lar commercial and sport fishery in the 

northern Gulf of Mexico. Comniercial landings for 1982 were 558 t valued at $225,300; 

more than 1.8 million sheepshead were caught by anglers in 1979. 

Juveniles and adults move offshore as temperatures decline in fa1 1. Spawning 

probably takes place in offshor~e waters during the spring. Larvae move inshore to grass 

flats in estuaries where they feed on soft plants and animals. Juveniles and adults live 

near structures on the bottom, such as pilings, or along the shore; they are omnivorous, 

but primarily eat mollusks and crustaceans. 

Sheepshead can to1 era te wide ranges of temperatures and sal ini ties. Li ttl e is known 

about the actual time of inshore and offshore movements, growth rate, age composition, 

role in trophic dynamics of estuaries, and age at maturity. 

!$p%i'e?f ??8'?i1 es: Li fe Hi stories and Environmental Requirements 

of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico) -- 

Sheepshead 

.':REmRT 

Biological Report 82(11.29)* 

& t?ppR(%T'eM?T3qn w~g4tm Team U. S . Army Corps of Eng i neers 

Division of Biological Services Waterways Experiment Station 

Fish and Wildlife Service P.O. Box 631 

U.S. Department of Interior Vicksburg, MS 39180 

M 3n34n 

17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors 

Estuaries Spawning 

Fishes Feeding 

Growth 

13. 'Y" Of Repon Period Covered 

. - - - P - - - -- 

14. 

I b. Identifien/Open.Ended Terms 

15. Supplementary Notes 

'U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Report No. TR EL-82-4 

Sheepshead Spawning 

Archosargus probatocephal us Habitat requirements 

Salinity requirements Life history 

c. COSATI Field/Group 

Unl imi ted 

1 19. Security Class CThis Report) 

22. Price 

I I 

(See ANSI-239.18) OPTIONAL FORM 272 (4-1 

(Formerly NTIS-35) 

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