Blackfish is the common name for several fishes, such as the Alaska blackfish and the tautog. The black sea bass is sometimes called a blackfish.
The Alaska blackfish lives in ponds and streams in Alaska and Siberia. It grows about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. It is hardy and can survive below-freezing water temperatures for a short time. But if the internal body cells freeze, the cells rupture and the fish dies.
The tautog is a food fish that lives along the Atlantic Coast from New Brunswick, Canada, to South Carolina. It is about 2 feet (61 centimeters) long, and weighs about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms).
The black sea bass is common along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. This fish has an unusual life cycle. Most of the young are females, but at about 5 years of age, the fish change sex and become males.
