Spot
Leiostomus xanthurus

Spot are small, feisty fish with a distinctive large, black spot near the gill opening. They are common from spring through autumn in the shallow waters of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.

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A juvenile spot is caught by researchers abord the R/V Rachel Carson out of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) in Solomons, Md., monitor the dead zone in the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay on July 16, 2014. CBL is part the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory to monitor the dead zone in the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay. (Photo courtesy E. Guy Stephens/Southern Maryland Photography)

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Appearance

The spot has a bluish-gray body with a brassy white belly and 12 to 15 dark, angled bars across its back. It has a distinctive large, black spot near its gill opening. It has pale fins, a deep notch in its dorsal fin and a forked tail fin. Its high, rounded back slopes down to a small head. Its lower jaw has no teeth. Spot grow to 11 to 12 inches in length.

Feeding

Bottom-feeders, spot prey upon bristle worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and plant and animal detritus (dead particulate organic matter). Juveniles eat tiny crustaceans.

Predators

Larger fish such as bluefish, weakfish and striped bass prey upon spot, as do sharks such as smooth dogfish, sandbar sharks and sand tiger sharks.

Reproduction and life cycle

Spawning occurs over the continental shelf from late September through March. After spawning, adults may stay offshore. Tiny larvae enter the Bay and move to freshwater shallows and tidal creeks, where they stay and grow throughout the summer. Most young leave the Bay by December. Spot mature at two to three years old and can live for five years, but they rarely live longer than three years.

Did you know?

  • Spot are also called Norfolk spot. They are one of the most abundant fish in the Chesapeake Bay.
  • These fish are popular with recreational anglers.
  • The spot is a member of the drum family, which includes weakfish, red drum, black drum, spotted seatrout and Atlantic croaker. All drums are able to make a loud drumming or croaking sound by vibrating their swim bladder using special muscles.
  • The Chesapeake Bay record spot, caught in 1980 off Poquoson, Virginia, weighed 2.5 pounds.

Sources and additional information

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