(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - drum, black
OTHER COMMON NAMES - sea drum, gray drum, oyster cracker, drum fish, banded drum, striped drum, puppy drum and butterfly drum
ELEMENT CODE -
CATEGORY - Fish
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Vertebrata,
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Osteichthyes,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Perciformes,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Sciaenidae,
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Pogonias,
SPECIES AND SSP - cromis,
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Pogonias cromis
AUTHORITY - Linnaeus
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 21
COMMENTS ON TAXONOMY -
Other common names include sea drum, gray drum, oyster cracker, drum fish,
banded drum, striped drum, puppy drum, and butterfly drum *21*.
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
STATUS
Coded Status
Sport Fish
Commercial
Commercial/consumption
REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 21
COMMENTS ON STATUS -
The black drum is a valuable recreational and commercial species along the
gulf of Mexico. Commercial landing of black drum in Texas from 1977 to 1982
averaged 593,200 kg annually, with a mean value of $550,900 per year. Black
drum have been identified as the most important fish in the winter sport
fishery in Biloxi Bay, Mississippi *21*.
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Estuarine FL2 V 4
Estuarine FL3 V 4
Estuarine RF2 V 4
Estuarine FL3 V 4
Estuarine FL3 V 5
Estuarine FL2 V 4
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 21
COMMENTS ON HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS -
Black drum inhabit nearshore waters and estuaries. Adults are most common
over sand or soft bottoms and over oyster reefs and clam shell deposits.
Adults have been taken in gulf waters off Texas at depths of 5-27 m from
December to June. Adults have also been caught in the deeper gulf waters
off Texas at depths of up to 37 m, but the majority of fish were caught in
the 20-27 m zone. Spawning occurs in or near passes into the Gulf of
Mexico and in open bays and estuaries. Juvenile black drum prefer shallow,
nutrient rich and relatively muddy waters (e.g., tidal creeks and channels)
along the Gulf of Mexico. While juveniles utilize the estuary environment,
they can tolerate a wide range of salinities and water temperatures. Young
black drum have even been taken in freshwater. Most black drum stay in the
shallow bay areas until they reach sexual maturity *21*.
Habitat Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
CARNIVORE
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 21
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
Larva Zooplankton Not Applicable
Juvenile Annelids Not Specified
Juvenile Crustaceans Not Specified
Juvenile Polychaetes Not Specified
Juvenile Copepods Not Specified
Juvenile Osteichthyes Not Specified
Adult Molluscs Not Specified
Adult Crustaceans Not Specified
Adult Other Plant Species Not Specified
General Osteichthyes Not Specified
General Clupeiformes Not Specified
General Molluscs Not Specified
Important Molluscs Not Specified
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 21
REFERENCES FOR IMPORTANT FOOD - 21
REFERENCES FOR ADULT FOOD - 21
REFERENCES FOR JUVENILE FOOD - 21
REFERENCES FOR LARVAE FOOD - 21
COMMENTS ON FOOD -
Black drum larvae feed largely on zooplankton.
Food of the young consists chiefly of marine annelids, soft crustaceans, and
small fishes. Young black drum were found to eat small fish (36%) and
polychaetes (32%). It was also reported that young fed mainly on small
invertebrates such as copepods, anneilds (including polychaetes), and
amphipods.
In Texas estuaries, the dominent food of black drum longer than 20 cm was
the mollusk Mulinia transversa corbuloides, an inhabitant of muddy waters.
This mollusk made up about 33% of the diet of black drum 21-50 cm long;
larger drum ate mostly mollusks (74%) and crabs (16%). It was reported that
larger fish fed on mollusks and shrimp, while another study reported that
black drum in Aransas Bay, Texas, fed heavily on shrimp, mollusks, and
aquatic vegetation. Moderate to large captive drum reportedly were capable
of consuming more than two oysters of commercial size per kilogram of body
weight each day. Black drum are known to destroy large numbers of oysters
on seed reefs and oyster lease areas in Louisiana and Mississippi *21*.
COMMENTS ON ADULT FOOD -
In Texas estuaries, the dominant food of black drum longer than 20 cm was
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
the mollusk Mulinia transversa corbuloides, an inhabitant of muddy waters.
This mollusk made up about 33% of the diet of black drum 21-50 cm long;
larger drum ate mostly mollusks (74%) and crabs (16%). It was reported that
larger fish fed on mollusks and shrimp, while another study reported that
black drum in Aransas Bay, Texas, fed heavily on shrimp, mollusks, and
aquatic vegetation. Moderate to large captive drum reportedly were capable
of consuming more than two oysters of commercial size per kilogram of body
weight each day. Black drum are known to destroy large numbers of oysters
on seed reefs and oyster lease areas in Louisiana and Mississippi *21*.
COMMENTS ON JUVENILE FOOD -
Food of the young consists chiefly of marine annelids, soft crustaceans, and
small fishes. Young black drum were found to eat small fish (36%) and
polychaetes (32%). It was also reported that young fed mainly on small
invertebrates such as copepods, anneilds (including polychaetes), and
amphipods *21*.
COMMENTS ON LARVAE FOOD -
Black drum larvae feed largely on zooplankton *21*.
Food Habits - 2 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
G Relation to Substrate: Unattached - normally free living
G Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Mud or silt
G
G Water Depth Preference: Specified in Comments
G Aquatic Features: Silt bottom streams
G Coastal Wetlands: Regularly flooded salt marshes
G Coastal Wetlands: Sounds and bays
G Estuarine habitat zone: bay
G Estuarine habitat zone: sound
A Water Depth Preference: Specified in Comments
A Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Sand
J Water Depth Preference: Specified in Comments
J
J Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Mud or silt
REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 21
REFERENCES FOR RESTING ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 21
REFERENCES FOR BREEDING ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 21
REFERENCES FOR RESTING JUVENILE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 21
COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS -
WATER TEMPERATURE: Sudden drops in temperature have caused black drum to
move from the shallow waters of the upper Laguna Madre, Texas, to the
deeper waters of nearby Baffin Bay and Corpus Christi Bay. Mass mortality
is relatively common when water temperatures drop sharply and are sustained
for extended periods. In coastal waters and estuaries of the Gulf of
Mexico, black drum are common in water temperatures of 12 to 33 deg C.
SALINITY: In coastal waters and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico, black
drum are common in salinities ranging from 9 to 26 ppt. They can tolerate
salinity extremes of 0 ppt and rarely 80 ppt.
DEPTH: Black drum have been taken in gulf waters off Texas at depths of
5-27 m from December to June. Adults have also been caught in the deeper
gulfs waters off Texas at depths of up to 37 m, but the majority of fish
were caught in the 20-27 m zone *21*.
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
COMMENTS ON RESTING ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
SUBSTRATE: Adult black drum are most common over sand or soft bottoms or
over oyster reefs and clam shell deposits.
DEPTH: Adult black drum have been taken in the deeper gulf waters off
Texas at depths of up to 37 m, but the majority of fish were caught in the
20-27 m zone *21*.
COMMENTS ON BREEDING ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
DEPTH: In Texas, ripe black drum were observed in water as deep as 27 m
*21*.
COMMENTS ON RESTING JUVENILE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
SUBSTRATE: Juvenile black drum are most common over muddy bottoms in
estuary systems.
SALINITY: Juvenile black drum can tolerate a wide range of salinities and
have even been taken in freshwater.
TEMPERATURE: Juveniles can tolerate a wide range of temperatures *21*.
Environment Associations - 2 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS: Dorsal fin X-I, 19-23; anal fin II, 5-7;
caudal fin, 9+8, procurrent rays 8-9+8; pelvic fin I, 5; scales 41-45 in a
lateral series; vertebrae 10+14; gill rakers 4-6+12-16; branchiostegals
7; teeth in jaws small, set in broad bands, not especially enlarged; no
teeth in vomer, palatines, or tongue; lower pharyngeals large, completely
united with many blunt molars at the middle and surrounded with strong
conical teeth.
Head 2.9-3.4, body depth 2.3-2.8, pectoral fin 3.3-3.6 in standard length
(SL); snout 2.8-3.7, eye 2.8-3.9, interorbital 3.0-4.0, maxillary 2.5-3.3
in head length.
Body oblong, moderately compressed, back much elevated; ventral outline
nearly straight; head moderately short, snout blunt; mouth horizontal,
inferior, lower jaw included; maxillary scarcely reaching below middle of
eye; chin with 5 pores and 12 to 13 pairs of barbels along inner edges of
lower jaw (LNC), the series usually extending back to below middle of eye.
Scales firm, ctenoid. Dorsal fin continuous, with a deep notch between the
spinous and soft portions (LNC); dorsal spines stiff and slender, the third
longest; anal fin short, the second spine much enlarged; caudal fin
subtruncate; pectoral fins about as long as head.
Live adults are silvery or blackish with a brassy luster, and the fins have
a black or dusky color. Coloration may change with habitat or age. Young
black drum usually have 4 to 6 vertical black bars on their sides. In the
Gulf of Mexico, black drum are almost uniformly silvery, losing vertical
crossbars early in life. Fish occupying bays and lagoons are darker in
color, often bronze along the back and dirty white on the side and belly.
SPAWNING: Black drum mature at the end of their second year of life at
standard lengths (SL) of 285-330 mm. They spawn in or near passes into the
Gulf of Mexico and in open bays and estuaries. In Texas, ripe black drum
were observed in water as deep as 27 m. Gravid and spent fish were
collected most frequently in water 20-27 m deep. Actual spawning in the
Gulf has not been directly observed; however, ripe and spent fish have been
taken in the same location and during the same period as black drum larvae.
Spawning time depends somewhat on geographic location. In Texas waters,
about 90% of the spawning occurs in February and March, but some spawning
activity occurs as late as June and July. The gonad-somatic index (GSI,
used as an indication of reproductive readiness) of black drum from Alazan
Bay, Texas, increased in late winter and early spring, and included a
secondary rise during the fall. In deeper gulf waters off Texas, spawning
occurs during November through April.
EGGS AND FECUNDITY: The eggs of black drum are 0.8 to 1 mm in diamter and
pelagic; they contain 2 to 6 oil globules in the early stages (average is 2
to 3), which coalesce into a single globule prior to hatching. Black drum
eggs are reported to hatch in less than 24 hr at 20 deg C. Little is known
about the fecundity of black drum, but a ripe female 1.1 m in total length
(TL) contained an estimated 6,000,000 eggs.
LARVAE: Black drum larvae are 1.9-2.4 mm in total length (TL) at hatching.
When the larvae are about 2.8 mm long, the yolk sac is almost completely
absorbed. The general adult shape is acheived when they reach a length of
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
15 mm TL. After hatching larvae are transported by tidal currents into
estuaries. In Texas, larval and post-larval black drum were first caught in
February and March, and were most frequently taken in or near the main
channel of Corpus Christi Pass. Collection of larval black drum continued
through March and April. Postlarval black drum are also taken in March and
April in Alabama waters, near Dauphin Island.
JUVENILES: Juvenile black drum prefer shallow, nutrient rich and relatively
muddy waters (i.e., tidal creeks and channels) along the Gulf of Mexico.
While juveniles utilize the estuarine environment, they can tolerate a wide
range of salinities and water temperatures. Young black drum have even been
taken in freshwater. Most black drum stay in the shallow bay areas until
they reach sexual maturity.
ADULTS: Adult black drum are predominently an estuarine species, and are
common in shallow estuaries throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Black drum
tagged near Baffin Bay (Laguna Madre), Texas, showed little intra-bay
movement, and 60% were captured less than 5 mi from where they were marked.
Little movement was also reported in Florida fish.
Little movement was found in young black drum (3 years or younger) along the
Texas coast from several bay systems to the gulf. Larger (older) fish were
taken in gulf waters off Texas at depths of 5-27 m from December to June.
Adult black drum were also caught in the deeper waters off Texas at depths
of up to 37 m, but the majority of fish were caught in the 20-27 m zone. A
quasi-permanent movement of black drum from the bay to the gulf may take
place at age 4 or older, making the bay systems the primary area of
recruitment to the spawning stocks of older black drum.
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS: Information on growth of black drum in the Gulf of
Mexico is relatively scarce. Length-frequency analysis was used to
determine that drum in Texas waters were about 250 mm TL at the end of the
first year of life, and about 370 mm long by the end of their second year.
It was reported that the large size and heavy calcification of drum scales
made age determination difficult and unreliable after the fourth or fifth
year of life, when drum were about 600 mm long. It was concluded from
length-frequency analysis and tag return data that black drum in Texas
waters attained a standard length of 160 mm at the end of their first year,
310 mm at the end of the second, and 415 mm by the end of the third year of
life. Older drum grew about 50 mm SL/year. On the basis of 14 taken from
gulf waters off Texas, the following length-weight relation was calculated:
log W = -4.98107 + 3.16465 log L
(W = weight in grams and L = standard length in millimeters).
Black drum larvae feed largely on zooplankton.
Food of the young consists chiefly of marine annelids, soft crustaceans, and
small fishes. Young black drum were found to eat small fish (36%) and
polychaetes (32%). It was also reported that young fed mainly on small
invertebrates such as copepods, anneilds (including polychaetes), and
amphipods.
In Texas estuaries, the dominent food of black drum longer than 20 cm was
the mollusk Mulinia transversa corbuloides, an inhabitant of muddy waters.
This mollusk made up about 33% of the diet of black drum 21-50 cm long;
larger drum ate mostly mollusks (74%) and crabs (16%). It was reported that
larger fish fed on mollusks and shrimp, while another study reported that
black drum in Aransas Bay, Texas, fed heavily on shrimp, mollusks, and
Life History - 2 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
aquatic vegetation. Moderate to large captive drum reportedly were capable
of consuming more than two oysters of commercial size per kilogram of body
weight each day. Black drum are known to destroy large numbers of oysters
on seed reefs and oyster lease areas in Louisiana and Mississippi.
FEEDING BEHAVIOR: Black drum are primarily bottom feeders, although they
sometimes feed on the bottom in a vertical position so that their tails
stick out of the water. They are well-adapted for bottom feeding; their
mouth and sensitive chin barbels aid in searching for food, and their strong
pharyngeal teeth crush the shells of mollusks and crabs.
COMPETITORS: Interactions between black drum and other species have not
been extensively studied. Because of its strong pharyngeal teeth, this
species probably has few competitors for mollusks (e.g., oysters); however,
they may compete with the red drum and other bottom feeders for other
benthic resources *21*.
LIFE HISTORY CODES -
Breeding/Spawning Season: January
Breeding/Spawning Season: February
Breeding/Spawning Season: March
Breeding Spawning Season: April
Breeding/Spawning Season: May
Breeding/Spawning Season: June
Breeding/Spawning Season: July
Breeding/Spawning Season: November
Breeding/Spawning Season: December
Spawning Site: Standing Water
Average Number of Offspring/Reproductive Effort: Grea
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 21
Life History - 3 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
COMMENTS ON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -
Black drum are harvested with a variety of gear. The sport fishery is more
important than the commercial fishery, and in Alabama, most drum in the
commercial fishery are caught incidentally with other species *21*.
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species drum, black
Species Id M010025
Date 27 AUG 96
References
21* Sutter, F.C., R.S. Waller, and T.D. McIlwain. 1986. Species profiles:
life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and
invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico)--black drum. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol.
Rep. 82(11.51). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 10 pp.
References - 1