Smallscale Fat Snook, Centropomus parallelus

Smallscale Fat Snook, Centropomus parallelus. Fish caught from brackish coastal waters off Micco, Florida, April 2019. Length: 56 cm (22 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ryan Crutchfield, Tampa, Florida.

Smallscale Fat Snook, Centropomus parallelus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Palm Bay, Florida, July 2019. Length: 56 cm (22 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Smallscale Fat Snook, Centropomus parallelus, is a member of the Snook or Centropomidae Family, that is also known as the Fat Snook and Little Snook and in Mexico as chucumite. Globally, there are twelve species in the genus Centropomus, and all twelve are found in Mexican waters, six in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific Ocean.

The Smallscale Fat Snook has an oblong, deep, compressed body with a body depth that is 67% to 81% of head length. They are a yellow-brown to greenish-brown dorsally that transitions to silvery ventrally. They have a prominent black mid-lateral line. Their fins are dusky. They have a large head with large eyes found on the sides with a straight to slightly concave upper profile and a pointed snout; their mouth is large and protractile with a protruding lower jaw, that is equipped with small teeth set in bands. Their anal fin has 3 strong spines, the second of which is very stout and curved and longer than the third, and 6 or 7 rays and has a short base; their caudal fin is deeply forked; their first dorsal fin has 8 spines with the third being longer than the fourth; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 8 to 10 rays; their pectoral fins have 14 to 17 rays; and, their pelvic fins have 1 spine and 5 rays and inserted behind the pectoral fin base. They have 21 to 25 gill rakers with 8 to 12 on the lower arch. They are covered with large rough scales with 79 to 91 scales above the lateral line. Their lateral line is prominent and extends to the end of the caudal fin.

The Smallscale Fat Snook is an euryhaline species with a high tolerance for wide ranges of salinity and can be found demersal in freshwater to estuarine to marine environments, near-shore over soft substrate in vegetative habitats at depths up to 15 m (49 feet). The juveniles are found in mangrove habitat. They have migratory patterns based on reproduction cycles, river flow rates, and the salinity content of the water. They reach a maximum of 72 cm (2 feet 4 inches) in length with females being larger than males, and 5.0 kg (11 lbs 0 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 4.96 kg (10 lbs 14 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Brazil Costa Rica in August 2005. They are considered a top predator and are opportunistic carnivores that consume primarily small pelagic fish and supplement their diet with crustaceans including crabs and shrimps. They feed primarily at dawn and at dusk. They are preyed upon by dolphins, various birds, and larger fish. They are hermaphrodites being protandrous changing from male to female at midlife. The females are broadcast spawners with the eggs immediately fertilized by the males. After hatching the larvae are dispersed by the currents to estuarine areas. The Smallscale Fat Snook is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Smallscale Fat Snook is found in coastal Mexican waters of the Atlantic from the Texas Border to Tabasco that includes the states of Campeche, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Veracruz.

The Smallscale Fat Snook is most likely confused with a series of other snooks from the Atlantic: the Common Snook, Centropomus undecimalis (virtually identical morphologically but has a body depth that is 67% to 8% of head length and 67 to 77 scales above the lateral line) but has caudal lobes that are much wider) Largescale Fat Snook, Centropomus mexicanus (reddish caudal fin), the Mexican Snook, Centropomus poeyi (very short second anal spine; 9 dorsal spines), the Swordspine Snook, Centropomus ensiferus (golden-brown coloration; very long and large second anal spine), and the Tarpon Snook, Centropomus pectinatus (dark caudal fin; 14 to 17 gill rakers on the lower arch).

From a conservation perspective the Smallscale Fat Snook is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their status has been difficult to monitor as catch levels are poorly reported and are generally mixed in with other Centropomus species. It is known that immature juveniles and caught and retain with great frequency. They are prone to loss of habitat due to human coastal development and to water pollution due to pesticide run-offs from agriculture. In United States waters they are heavily protected; in Mexican waters they remain unprotected and subject to high catch levels during spawning season. They are heavily pursued by recreational anglers and in some regions by commercial fishermen. They are considered to be an excellent human food fish and marketed extensively at elevated prices. They are now being raised by aquaculture and can be farmed in a wide range of salinities.