Description: color gray,
dark or iridescent blue above, shading to silvery sides, in dark waters
showing golden tints around breast; small permit have teeth on tongue
(none on pompano); no scutes; dorsal fin insertion directly above that of
the anal fin; 17 to 21 soft anal rays.
Similar Fish: pompano, T.
carolinus. The permit is deeper bodied; dorsal body profile forms
angle at insertion of second dorsal fin; pompano rarely grow larger than 6
pounds, permit common to 40 pounds.
Where found: OFFSHORE on
wrecks and debris, INSHORE on grass flats, sand flats, and in channels;
most abundant in south Florida, with smaller specimens from every coastal
county.
Size: common to 25
pounds.
*Florida Record: 51 lbs.,
8 ozs.
Remarks: feeds mainly on
bottom-dwelling crabs, shrimp, small clams, and small fish.
* The Florida records
quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's
printed publication, Fishing
Lines and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are
provided as only as a benchmark.
