need a Fish ID

[rstrick2]

I took this photo of cormorant eating this fish but i can not ID it

[Coryphaena]

We're not going to get a 100% positive ID on this one- the cormorant's prey has already been filleted. The bird is just reaping the benefits of someone's catch. I can say that it couldn't be a Spanish mackerel (the fins are wrong); a very likely candidate for the bird's meal is a filleted ladyfish. In any case, the cormorant was rather ambitious to take on such a meal.

[Murphy's Law]

That was my first thought, lady fish. But who would fillet a lady fish ? Other than for shark bait that is.

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[jack]

Some of the people who settled in p'cola after the viet nam war filet the ladies, pressure cook them, and use the meat to make fish cakes. i hear the taste is....ah....how you say.......fishy.

jack

[Murphy's Law]

Some of the people who settled in p'cola after the viet nam war filet the ladies, pressure cook them, and use the meat to make fish cakes. i hear the taste is....ah....how you say.......fishy.

jack

I can only imagine :what:

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[Coryphaena]

That was my first thought, lady fish. But who would fillet a lady fish ? Other than for shark bait that is.

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Believe it or not, ladyfish are an important commercial species, probably for the reason jack stated- they're popular for fish cakes. Who knows where that filleted one came from- I have seen some things floating around (filleted hardhead catfish for one!). Of course, the fish in the cormorant's throat could be something else too- all I can see is a body shape and a rough fin structure so there could be other possibilities for the species he's eating.

[Capt'n Slim]

Karon, not that i would ever doubt you at all, you have more knowledge of fish in your little pinky finger than i have in my whole body. But doesn't the fish strike a similar look to a sturgeon? the back dorsal fin looks to far back for a lady fish, i see where it looks like it was filleted but could the rest of the picture be another fish also in the birds mouth. Take a closer look and tell me im wrong please!!

[Coryphaena]

Slim, you're right about the ladyfish fins.... the dorsal fin doesn't quite match the fish in the picture because of the length of it (too long in the fish in the picture) and the spiny portion of it. I blew the picture up in Paint and the main things that would match a ladyfish are the tail shape and what I can see of the skeleton. I initially thought of spotted seatrout, but the tail (if the picture isn't retouched) is completely wrong, or Spanish mackerel or really small king but the dorsal fin is wrong there too. Could be one of the large clupeids (shad, sardines, etc) but the dorsal fin just doesn't match. The ribs have been clearly cut off in the photo so I can't count them or get an idea of structure. It can't be a sturgeon though- there are no scutes on this fish and sturgeon have what's called a heterocercal tail (long top lobe, short bottom lobe). Like I said in my initial response, we aren't going to have a 100% correct ID on this fish- all we can do is rule out what it isn't. I'm assuming the picture was taken locally (location of photo if not local would help) and not retouched. If the original poster wants to email me their original photo, I can get more detail out of it when I blow it up and try to count some of the characteristics.... but again, it's highly unlikely that we'll get the fish species out of this one with so much detail lacking.

[Salty Dawg]

That was my first thought, lady fish. But who would fillet a lady fish ? Other than for shark bait that is.

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The fillets cut into chunks are an excellent Redfish bait. Or rig them whole like a strip bait drifting for Grouper. I use them all the time like that.

[Murphy's Law]

The fillets cut into chunks are an excellent Redfish bait. Or rig them whole like a strip bait drifting for Grouper. I use them all the time like that.

Thanks for the info. Only thing I had ever used them for was shark. Didn't know you could catch a red on them.

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