How much do you really know about the Chesapeake Bay? We hear a lot of stories about the bay throughout the year, especially when it comes to how we can all do our part in keeping it clean. A lot of people also know that it’s home to delicious seafood, including the famous blue crabs and oysters that many Marylanders enjoy every summer. The 200 miles of the Chesapeake Bay is also home to an abundance of other sea life, including 3,600 species of plants, animals, and fish. Here are five other types of fish that populate the bay.
Bluefish
The bluefish thrives in subtropical waters. It’s also commonly referred to as chopper, anchoa, or simply blue. The bluefish is also a popular game fish. You can spot it by the broad, forked tail and its gray to blue-green color. People who fish often use bluefish as bait for tuna, billfish, and even shark.
Striped Bass
As Maryland’s state fish, the striped bass is one of the most popular fish in the Chesapeake among seafood lovers. The average adult can reach up to 65 pounds and live up to 31 years old. You’ll recognize this fish by its metallic shimmer and dark, continuous stripes.</p>
Atlantic Croaker
With Atlantic in its name, the Atlantic croaker thrives in coastal waters. It gets the other half of its name from a very distinct noise that the fish makes. What sets this fish a part is a dark golden hue that it adopts during spawning season. You’ll have the best luck at finding the Atlantic croaker in the bay from March to October.
Bluegill
Commonly referred to as the copper nose fish, the bluegill is covered in a distinct combination of blue and purple on its face. It has yellow-green sides and a bright orange belly. These fish are fast swimmers and can change direction quickly. They prefer to travel in schools of about 10 to 20 other fish.
American Shad
The American shad is a fish that spends most of its life in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a herring fish that feeds on plankton, small shrimp, and fish eggs. This fish has seen a considerable decline in population in the Atlantic coast as their habitats have experienced pollution and overfishing. The shad fish is silver in color with dark spots near the top of the gill.
YOUR SEAFOOD DESTINATION THIS SUMMER
Costas Inn has been a Baltimore tradition since 1971. You may recognize our restaurant, which was recently featured on the Food Network with Michael Symon on Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que! We were also voted the 2015 #1 Baltimore Seafood Restaurant by USA Today, as well as #1 Crab Restaurant 2014 in the Baltimore Business Journal. You may have also spotted Costas Inn during one of our 9 appearances on the Today Show or heard one of our many interviews on WJZ TV Channel 13 with Ron Matz and Marty Bass.
You can enjoy our famous crab cakes in-house or order them online for anytime eating. We also provide some of the best seafood catering in the Baltimore area! You can also get your fill from Costas even when you’re not in our dining room: follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube!