Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus

Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. Fish caught off the Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach, South Carolina, June 2015. Length: 10.1 cm (4.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ryan Crutchfield, Tampa, Florida.

Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Charleston, South Carolina, June 2012. Length 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Galveston, Texas, July 2020. Length 15.5 cm (6.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. Fish caught from within the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach, Virginia, August 2015. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Marc Eberlein, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. Fish caught of the Point Lookout Park Pier, Scotland, Maryland, June 2012. Length 23.0 cm (9.1 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Canada.

Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. Fish caught off the Sanibel Island Pier, Sanibel Island, Florida, August 2018. Length: 31 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus, is the smallest member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as gurrubata. Globally, there are six species in the genus Micropogonias, of which five are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.

The Atlantic Croaker has an elongated compressed body. They are silvery with a pink cast and are darker dorsally with scattered dark spots on their back and oblique dark lines on their flanks. Their spiny dorsal fin has dark dots and a black margin and their other fins are pale to yellowish. Their pectoral fin base is dark. They turn a deep golden color during mating. Their head has a prominent overhanging snout with a moderately large inferior mouth equipped with villiform teeth set in bands. Their chin has 8 pores and 3 or 4 pairs of small barbels. Their snout has 10 to 12 pores, 5 to 7 at the front and 5 on the sides. The margins of their gill covers are strongly serrated with 3 or 4 strong spines set at an angle. Their anal fin has 2 spines, the second of which is strong, and 8 or 9 rays; their caudal fin has a short margin with a blunt point being doubly concave; their first dorsal fin has 10 spines; and, their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 28 or 29 rays. They have 22 to 29 short slender gill rakers. They are covered with scales. Their lateral line extends to the center of the caudal fin.

The Atlantic Croaker is a demersal species that is found over muddy and sandy bottoms in coastal waters at depths up to 183 m (600 feet); they also enter brackish estuaries. They reach a maximum of 69 cm (2 feet 3 inches) in length and 19 kg (8 lbs 8 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.94 kg (8 lbs 11 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Chesapeake Bay, Virginia in August 2007. They undergo migrations entering bays and estuaries as juveniles and returning to the ocean upon maturity. They are capable of generating a loud sound by vibrating strong muscles against their swim bladder; this is used for communication, including by males to attract females. They feed on crabs, shrimp, and detritus. In turn they are preyed upon by bluefish, other croakers, sharks, spotted seatrout, striped bass, and humans. Greater than 95% of the population dies every year from predation. Each female releases between 100,000 and 2 million pelagic eggs annually. Their larvae are pelagic. They have lifespans of up to thirteen years.

The Atlantic Croaker is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean being found throughout the Gulf of Mexico; they are absent from along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Atlantic Croaker is most likely confused with the Red Drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, (iridescent silvery copper color) and the Spot, Leiostomus xanthurus (large black spot just above gill cover).

From a conservation perspective the Atlantic Croaker is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are one of the most abundant fish in North America and an important commercial species. They are caught via gill nets, lb nets, and fish traps with millions of lbs sold annually. They are sold domestically and also imported into the United States at a level approaching $10 million per year. They are also a by-catch of shrimp trawlers. They are known to contain trematodes and should not be eaten raw. They were a primary food source of Native Americans. They are a popular recreational angling foe being easily caught on dead shrimp off the bottom. They are also used as live bait targeting seatrout.