The permit, Trachinotus falcatus, is a game fish of the western Atlantic ocean belonging to the Carangidae family. Adults feed on crabs, shrimp, and smaller fish. Two submarines of the United States Navy were named USS Permit in its honor, in keeping with the “denizens of the deep” theme of submarine names that prevailed before the 1971 naming of USS Los Angeles.

Permits can be distinguished by their elongated dorsal fins and anal fin. The dorsal fin is shaped like a scythe. Permit tails are also deeply forked, and their bodies are compressed laterally, making the fish tall and thin when viewed from the front.

The average permit has six to seven dorsal spines, and eighteen to twenty one soft rays. The anal fin has two to three spines, and sixteen to eighteen soft rays. Both dorsal and anal fins have dark, anterior lobes. Permits have no scutes and have a large, orange-yellow patch on their abdomens in front of their anal fins, while their pectoral fins are dark. Permit are usually found in shallow, tropical waters such as flats, channels, and muddy bottoms. They are usually seen as individuals or in small schools. Although permit are found close to shore and even in some brackish areas, they spawn offshore.