Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix)

Documented life stages: Egg, larvae, juvenile, and adult stages

Size: Up to 48 inches (122 cm)

Color: Blue to blue-gray above; metallic sheen on sides; silver-white below

Coastal distribution: Nova Scotia to Argentina

Natural habitat: Offshore, estuaries, channels, rivers, beaches, marshes, creeks, and vegetation beds

Local range: Upper and lower Chesapeake Bay; spring, and summer, and fall

Availability: Occasional, upper bay; abundant, lower bay Natural salinity range: Above 1 ppt

Salinity zone preference: Primarily polyhaline and marine

Natural diet: Fishes Aquarium diet: Small live fishes and chopped seafood

Juvenile aquarium: Above 100 gallons (380 liters); strong currents; open habitat with secured tops; 30–35 ppt salinity; 60–80 °F (16–27 °C)

Aquarium adaptation: Good

Compatibility: Good with other bluefishes and larger fishes

Biology: Bluefish occur in oceanic and coastal waters. In oceanic waters, they often school with sharks and billfishes. They are most common along high energy surf beaches, although adults can also be found in estuaries and into brackish water. Small fish may be found in shallow coastal waters at least two meters in depth. They are found frequently in schools pursuing and feeding on small fishes. Adults school in loose groups, often attacking schools of mullets or other fishes. Bluefishes are renowned for their offshore coastal migratory runs along the Atlantic coastline. Along the U.S. east coast, bluefish are found off Florida in the winter months. By April, they disappear and migrate north. By June, they may be found off New England and Nova Scotia. By October, they leave New England waters and migrate south. The adults are the first to appear in the estuaries during the spring. They are followed by juveniles that occupy lower Chesapeake Bay feeding and nursery grounds until the fall. Juveniles will stray further than the adults into northern ranges. Bluefish are prolific spawners. Spawning occurs in the surface waters over the continental shelf, inshore waters, and lower estuaries. Two spawning ranges are situated along the Atlantic Coast. 220 The first range is from Florida to North Carolina and the second range is from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Fecundity ranges from 400,000 to 2,000,000 pelagic eggs which are distributed by Gulf Stream currents. The young will migrate to inshore waters and they will also stray further north than the adults. Their age span ranges up to nine years.

Remarks: This fish is a major sport and commercial fisheries resource. Care should be exercised in the handling of this fish because of its sharp and powerful jaws which are capable of inflicting serious injury. It is wise to exit the water when a school is sighted or known to be the vicinity. Their feeding habits are hazardous to anything in their path, often shredding more fish than their diet requires. Bluefish can be observed in public aquariums. Seining, trawling, and baited hooks are the best collection methods for live juvenile specimens. Transport from field to shore requires large flat or circular tanks.