Physical description:

The body of the whitebone porgy is silvery overall, with regular brown markings of varying intensity on the sides, more like splotches than spots. Brown markings also occur on the fins, and occationally the sides bear brown crossbars. The species can be distinguished from two other frequently caught deepwater porgies, the red porgy, Pagrus pagrus, andknobbed porgy, Calamus nodosus. The former is predominently pink; the latter has a very steep sloping forehead and cheeks that are speckled with bright blue and yellow. Although most members of the genus have 14 to 15 pectoral rays, the whitebone porgy has 16.

Biological description:

The whitebone porgy is found from Cape Hatteras to Cape Canaveral, in the Florida Keys (along with a multitude of other tropical porgies) and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It prefers habitats of high-and low-profile reef-like bottom in water ranging from 100-240 feet in depth. Both sexes of the whitebone porgy mature within their first or second year, and spawning occurs from April to August. Whitebone porgies are protogynous hermaphrodites, known to live as long as 12 years, reaching a length of 18 inches and weight of 5 pounds. This species feeds on the bottom, picking up crabs, shrimp or snails that live along rocks, sponges or corals.

South Atlantic Federal Regulations

(For areas three-200 miles off the coasts of NC, SC, GA, and East Florida)

Commercial:

Limited access permit required.

• Gear restrictions apply.

Recreational:

See updated Recreational Regulations Summary (pdf) in the Regulations by Species homepage.  

• Gear restrictions apply.