About the Species

Scup are a species of porgy, which is a common term for fish that belong to the family Sparidae.   The term “porgy” is said to originate from a Native American term that meant “fertiliser.” The scup fishery was once the biggest fishing industry on the east coast of the United States, and farmers would use a surplus of these fish to bury in their fields to add nutrients to the soil.They are bottom-dwelling, browsing carnivores that feed mainly on small invertebrates.

Scup live a relatively long time; up to around 20 years.  Once they reach about two years old, and around 8 inches, they become sexually mature.  They spawn over weedy or sandy areas in southern New England from Massachusetts Bay south to New York from May through August, with peak activity in June. Scup migrate from coastal waters in the summer to the outer continental shelf in winter. They migrate offshore and south in the fall, returning north and inshore to coastal areas and bays in spring. For more information, visit the NOAA species profile here.