 |
 Are
saltwater
catfish
good
to
eat?
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Gafftopsail Catfish
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The two species of sea catfish caught in U.S. waters are
edible. The gafftopsail catfish is considered more tasty than the
smaller common sea catfish.
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What is the fish listed as "scrod" in New England
restaurants?
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The name comes from a Middle Dutch word "schrode" meaning a
strip or shred.
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In New England scrod may be immature cod or haddock
weighing 11/2 to 21/2 pounds.
Haddock
Sometimes the term is applied to cusk of
about the same weight, or to pollock weighing 11/2 to 4 pounds.
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When fishermen use the word, they are usually referring to gutted small
haddock.
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What are menhaden?
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Menhaden are silvery, herring-like fish that travel in large
schools along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United
States. Plankton-eaters, menhaden attain a weight of about
three-quarters of a pound.
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Atlantic Menhaden
Flesh is oily and considered inedible for
humans. The fish are caught by purse-seine nets in shallow water and
processed into oil for cosmetics and fish meal for animals,
particularly for poultry. Menhaden support the largest fishery by
volume and the eighth most profitable fishery in the United States.
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Where are Atlantic menhaden spawned,
Where do they go after hatching?
Spawning is in the ocean. One important spawning site is at
Onslow Bay, North Carolina. Some spawning takes place along the
Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Florida. The young menhaden first
drifts with currents until it reaches an inlet, then works upstream to
live for the summer near freshwater. In fall, schools move downstream
to permanent ocean residence.
  
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