Sciaenops ocellatus

Biological Overview

Habitat
Massachusetts to Tuxpan, Mexico with peak abundance in the Gulf of Mexico and southeast U.S; estuaries, surf zones, seagrass beds and mud flats

Diet
Crabs, shrimp, and small fish like mullet, menhaden, and pinfish.

Role in Ecosystem
Indicator species for healthy habitats, including estuaries, salt marshes, and seagrass beds; play a key role in energy flow and nutrient cycling in Gulf and Atlantic coastal ecosystems.

Behavior
Move in groups while also feeding on crabs and shrimp on shallow grass flats.

Human Impact

Humans have been overfishing, destroying Red Drums habitat, polluting the water with chemicals, vessel pollution, and microplastics. These are all of the human impacts that we can fix so that the Red Drum population will stop declining.

Creative Exploration

The sun was out on the water as I woke up out of the salty marsh. I wait to sneak around and finally, I get the chance then I strike a good morning meal as I go along with my day. I see a boat in my way and panic spreads across my body. Finally, I end my day with a couple shrimps in the flats then I get back to the salty marshes then rest up for another day.

Mason Lewis, Arthur Tayloe, Luke Campen

Book 8