any of about eight species of marine fishes constituting the genus Centropomus and the family Centropomidae (order Perciformes). Snooks are long, silvery, pikelike fishes with two dorsal fins, a long head, and a rather large mouth with a projecting lower jaw. Tropical fishes, they are found along the American Atlantic and Pacific coasts, often in estuaries and among mangroves and, sometimes, in fresh water. They range from 0.5 to 1.5 m (1.5 to 5 feet) long and are valued for food and sport.