The croaker is a deep-bodied silvery fish with a deep body, a high back, two dorsal fins and a round nose. It has small barbels on its lower jaw. It can reach 12 to 15 years in age, grow over 15 inches in length and weigh well over a pound. After about one week the eggs hatch and the young migrate to the bottom. Juvenile fish progressively move to deeper and deeper water as they mature.
Most juveniles fish reach maturity in one year.
Most abundant south of San Francisco Bay. The white croaker is an abundant near shore species that prefers the sandy bottoms of bays and estuaries and the area just outside the surf zone. They are preyed on by sea lions, dolphin, sea bass, and tuna. The croaker spends most of its time in waters less than 30 meters deep, schooling and feeding near the sandy bottom. Because it prefers waters less than 30 meters deep and will eat just about anything, it is very susceptible to human impacts.