The bluefish is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a
marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical
waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in
Australia, shad on the east coast of South Africa, and elf on the west coast.
Other common names are blue, chopper, and anchoa. It is good eating and a
popular gamefish. The bluefish is a moderately
proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail. The spiny first dorsal fin is
normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins. Coloration is a
grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its
single row of teeth in each jaw is uniform in size, knife-edged, and sharp.
Bluefish commonly range in size from seven-inch "snappers" to much larger,
sometimes weighing as much as 40 lb, though fish heavier than 20 lb are
exceptional. Distribution
Bluefish are widely distributed around the world in tropical and subtropical
waters. They are found in pelagic waters on much of the continental shelves along
eastern America, Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Southeast
Asia, and Australia. They are found in a variety of coastal habitats: above the
continental shelf, in energetic waters near surf beaches, or by rock headlands.
They also enter estuaries and inhabit brackish waters. Periodically, they
leave the coasts and migrate in schools through open waters.
Along the U.S. East Coast, bluefish are found off Florida in the winter. By
April, they have disappeared, heading north. By June, they may be found off
Massachusetts; in years of high abundance, stragglers may be found as
far north as Nova Scotia. By October, they leave the waters north of New York
City, heading south. In a similar pattern overall, the economically
significant population that spawns in Europe's Black Sea migrates south
through Istanbul and on toward Turkey's Mediterranean coast in the autumn for
the cold season. Along the South African coast and environs, movement patterns
are roughly in parallel. Life history
Adult bluefish are typically between 20 and 60 cm long, with a maximum reported
size of 120 cm and 14 kg. They reproduce during spring and summer, and can live
up to 9 years. Bluefish fry are zooplankton, and are largely at the
mercy of currents. Spent bluefish have been found off east-central Florida,
migrating north. As with most marine fish, their spawning habits are not well
known. In the western side of the North Atlantic, at least two populations
occur, separated by Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. The Gulf Stream can
carry fry spawned to the south of Cape Hatteras to the north, and eddies can
spin off, carrying them into populations found off the coast of the mid-Atlantic,
and the New England states. Feeding habits
Adult bluefish are strong and aggressive, and live in loose groups.
They are fast swimmers which prey on schools of forage fish, and continue
attacking them in feeding frenzies even after they appear to have eaten their
fill. Depending on area and season, they favor menhaden and other sardine-like
fish, jacks, weakfish, grunts, striped anchovies, shrimp, and squid. They are
cannibalistic and can destroy their own young. Bluefish sometimes chase bait
through the surf zone, attacking schools in very shallow water, churning the
water like a washing machine. This behavior is sometimes referred to as a
"bluefish blitz". In turn, bluefish are preyed upon by
larger predators at all stages of their lifecycle. As juveniles, they fall
victim to a wide variety of oceanic predators, including striped bass,
larger bluefish, fluke, weakfish, tuna, sharks, rays, and dolphins. As adults,
bluefish are taken by tuna, sharks, billfish, seals, sea lions, dolphins,
porpoises, and many other species. Bluefish should be handled with caution
due to their ability to snap at unwary hands. Fishermen have been severely
bitten, and wearing gloves can help. Wading or swimming among feeding
bluefish schools can be dangerous. In July 2006, a seven-year-old girl was
attacked on a beach, near the Spanish town of Alicante, allegedly by a
bluefish. Commercial fisheries
In the U.S., bluefish are landed primarily in recreational fisheries, but
important commercial fisheries also exist in temperate and subtropical
waters. Bluefish population abundance is typically cyclical, with abundance
varying widely over a span of 10 years or more.
Management Bluefish are highly sought-after
sportfish that had been widely overfished across the world's fisheries.
Restrictions set forth by management organizations have somewhat helped the
species' population stabilize. In the U.S., specifically along the seaboard of
the middle Atlantic states, bluefish were at unhealthy levels in the late
1990s, but management resulted in this stocks being fully rebuilt by 2007. In
other parts of the world, public awareness efforts, such as bluefish
festivals, combined with catch limits, may be having positive effects in
reducing the stress on the regional stocks. Some of these efforts are
regionally controversial.[dead link] Other uses
Bluefish are often caught and used as live bait for tuna, shark, or billfish.
Similar species The bluefish is the only extant species
now included in the family Pomatomidae. At one time, gnomefishes were included,
but these are now grouped in a separate family, Scombropidae. One extinct
relative of the bluefish is Lophar miocaenius, from the Late Miocene of
Southern California. References
Further reading "Pomatomus saltatrix". Integrated
Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 January 2006.
Bluefish NOAA FishWatch. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
External links Bluefish or Tailor video on Youtube
Tailor in Australian Marine Reserve on Youtube
FishBase info for Pomatomidae Encyclopedia of Life
Life history of the bluefish Photo of a large bluefish
Fisheries Western Australia Tailor Fact Sheet
Bluefish feast in Italy