Divers visiting Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary are often surrounded by schooling fish. The larger striped fish in this photograph are the Atlantic spadefish.

The Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes. It is the symbol of the North Carolina Aquariums.

Feb 5, 2025 · Juvenile Atlantic spadefish reside in very shallow water, often swimming at an angle, disguising themselves as dead leaves or mangrove pods to avoid predation. Adults often school in groups of up to 500 individuals.

Spawn in spring and summer; travel in large schools; small juveniles may drift on their sides to mimic floating debris; feed on crustaceans and other invertebrates

Since the mid-1970s, the Atlantic Spadefish has grown in popularity among recreational anglers along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Anglers have specifically noted the Atlantic Spadefish’s schooling behavior around artificial reefs, making them particularly susceptible to overfishing.

Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus) Often called the Gray's Reef "welcoming party," schools of Atlantic spadefish swim throughout the sanctuary. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Sep 24, 2010 · Like a bed of nails rising through a pile of glowing coals, the spadefish school sliced an ocean surface colored orange by the morning sun. We eased closer to the feeding fish with the trolling motor.

Sep 4, 2010 · It is a schooling fish which is found in abundance in shallow marine and brackish waters of shipwrecks, harbours, beaches, and mangroves. It is usually found at depths of about 3 to 35 metres. Juvenile Atlantic spadefish stay in very shallow water and swim at an angle to disguise themselves as dead leaves or mangrove pods to avoid predation.

Adults often school in groups of up to 500 individuals. Benthic invertebrates including crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, sponges, and cnidarians are preyed upon by the bottom feeding Atlantic spadefish. This fish may also feed occasionally on plankton as …

Schools of Spadefish, sometimes hundreds of individuals, fly over the wreck in slow, methodical groupings. These fish often like to hang out at the leading edge of the ship, into the current, feeding on small creatures being swept over the wreck by the tides.