The Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) is a species of small marine filter-feeding fish native to the Gulf of Mexico to Eastern Yucatan and Western Cuba. They are schooling fish and are a great source of food for dolphins, pelicans, tuna, mako sharks, swordfish, blue marlins, frogfish and ospreys.
Gulf menhaden are filter feeders, meaning that they collect food by filtering water through modifications of the branchial apparatus (gill or branchial arches and gill rakers). Like Atlantic menhaden, Gulf menhaden's diet depends on the size of their gill rakers, which change as menhaden age. Larval gulf menhaden feed primary on zooplankton because the rakers are not well developed. The juveniles, which generally correspond to when they are under the age of one, Gulf menhaden feed more on phytoplankton. As they age and their gill rakers fully developed, menhaden shift their diet to primarily consume phytoplankton.
Spawning occurs offshore in winter (October–March). Eggs and larvae are pelagic and are carried into estuarine nursery areas via prevailing currents. As a result, migration at this stage can be lengthy, and populations of Gulf menhaden throughout the Gulf of Mexico are generally thought to comprise a single genetic stock.