Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius

Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius. Fish caught from within the Biloxi Bay, Biloxi, Mississippi, June 2023. Length 19 cm (7.5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sanibel Island, Florida, April 2011. Length 23 cm (9.0 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Galveston, Texas, May 2013. Length 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mobile, Alabama, July 2019. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius. Fish caught from the Indian River Lagoon, Fort Pierce, Florida, February 2020. Length 31 cm (12 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Doug Bomeisler, Fort Pierce, Florida. Identification courtesy of Dr. Grant Gilmore, Estuarine Coastal and Ocean Science, Vero Beach, Florida.

The Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, that is also known as the Sand Weakfish and the White Trout and in Mexico as corvina arenera. Globally, there are twenty-four species in the genus Cynoscion, of which thirteen are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and ten in the Pacific Ocean.

The Sand Seatrout has an elongated compressed body. They are silvery gray dorsally and transition to silvery ventrally. Their anal and pelvic fins are pale to yellowish and their caudal and second dorsal fins have subtle spotting. There is a faint dark area at the base of their pectoral fins and the inside of their gill covers is dark. They have a large oblique mouth with a projecting lower jaw equipped with a pair of large canine teeth in the front and a row of widely spaced teeth. They do not have barbels. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 10 to 12 rays; their caudal fin is doubly concave; their first dorsal fin has 9 or 10 spines, a notch, and their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 25 to 29 rays; and, their pectoral fins are slightly longer than their pelvic fins. They have 12 to 14 gill rakers. Their lateral line is arched anteriorly then becomes straight and extends into the center of the caudal fin. They are covered with rough scales.

The Sand Seatrout is a demersal species that is found in shallow coastal waters, including the surf zone, and over sandy bottoms at depths up to 177 m (580 feet). They reach a maximum of 63.5 cm (2 feet 1 inch) in length and 2.8 kg (6.2 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 2.78 kg (6 lbs 2 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Dauphin Island, Alabama in May 1997. They are known to make seasonal migrations for spawning and to escape hot water and will enter estuaries during the summer months for pupping and feeding. They consume fish and crustaceans. Reproduction is oviparous with eggs released offshore in areas where tidal currents will move them inshore. They have a lifespan of up to six years.

The Sand Seatrout is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Sand Seatrout can be easily confused with the Silver Seatrout, Cynoscion nothus (smaller; found in deeper waters; coloration more silvery).

From a conservation perspective the San Seatrout is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are, however, heavily fished in coastal waters from Tamaulipas to Yucatán on the northern coast of Mexico with annual catches estimated at 2,000 tons with annual sales of approximately 1.0 million United States dollars. They are also affected by habitat degradation, coastal development, and shrimp trawler by-catch, which increase juvenile mortality. The Sand Seatrout is an important sport and commercial fish in certain regions of Mexico with fish caught primarily by hook and line and by gill nets. They are also caught by recreational anglers and considered good table fare.