Moonfish

moonfish a name which belongs correctly to Selene setapinnis, a fish of the carangid family (see jack). This belongs to the tropical waters of the W. Atlantic but strays north during the summer as far as New England. Its silvery body is thin, and its maximum length 30 cm (1'), so there is not much of it to eat. However, it may be fried or baked, and there are records of its having been marketed in New York (as blunt-nosed shiner) and Massachusetts (as hump-backed butterfish). The high ‘forehead’ gives this fish a philosophical appearance.