Flattened head, large upturned mouth, and rows of small bioluminescent photophores (light organs) arranged along the belly and sides — resembling the brass buttons on a naval midshipman''s uniform. Brownish-olive above. Adults reach 12–18 inches.\n\n
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Not a targeted sport fish. Midshipmen are commonly encountered as bycatch on bay bottom rigs and are often found stranded in tidepools at low tide. Their humming song (audible above water on quiet nights) and bioluminescence make them one of the more fascinating fish in the bay ecosystem.