Porgy (Scup)

The scup, or “porgy,” known for its fine flavor and its avaricious pursuit of baited hooks, occurs along the continental shelf of eastern North America. It is most common from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is encountered only occasionally north of Cape Ann The scup’s laterally flattened body is about two times as long as it is wide. The head, concave dorsally, has a small mouth and high-set eyes. The scup has one long, continuous dorsal fin, which possesses a series of one short and eleven long spines anteriorly. The anal fin also contains one short spine followed by several long ones. The tail is deeply concave and sharply pointed on the corners. The pelvic fins are located directly below the pectoral fins. The scup’s body is a dull silvery color flecked with light blue and displaying 12 to 15 inconspicuous horizontal stripes. The head is marked with dark patches, and the belly is white. The Massachusetts angling record for scup is 5 pounds 14 ounces, but few adults exceed 2 pounds in width and 14 inches in length. Both males and females reach sexual maturity in their second year. Scup can live up to 14 years of age, but most schools of scup contain no fish older than 3 to 4 years.