Bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix
The Bluefish is one of the strongest and most aggressive hunters in the sea. Its scientific name refers to a dancer because of the impressive jumps it performs out of the water when it fights to be free. The body is hydrodynamic, shaped like a torpedo, silver in colour, and has a distinct grey-blue or greenish tint on the back. The most defining feature is the mouth, which contains a row of triangular, compressed, and incredibly sharp teeth that lock together. This allows the fish to cut through its prey's flesh with ease.
⚠️ Safety warning
The Bluefish possesses extremely sharp razor-like teeth. It can cause very serious injury and deep cuts to fingers, even when the fish is out of the water. Great caution is required during hook removal, and the use of specific tools such as pliers or a lip grip is essential for safety.
Habitat
This is a coastal pelagic species and a great traveller. It lives and hunts along the entire coastline from beaches and river estuaries to harbours and reefs. It usually moves at depths between 1 and 200 metres. It is a migratory fish that follows schools of smaller fish for food, and it prefers warm and temperate waters.
Diet
It is a voracious and aggressive predator that often hunts in packs. Its diet consists almost exclusively of other fish such as mullet and sardines, bogue and sand smelt, and mackerel, along with squid. It is known for the frenzy it causes when it attacks schools, where it often kills and injures many more fish than it can eat.
Reproduction
Breeding takes place during the warm months, mainly from July to September, in the Mediterranean. It spawns its eggs in the open sea, which are pelagic and drift with the currents.
Fisheries
It is one of the most popular catches for recreational anglers due to its strength and fighting spirit. It is caught by surface trolling, spinning, and using live bait. The meat is tasty but has a specific requirement because it must be bled immediately after capture and consumed very fresh, or the flavour quickly becomes heavy and the flesh softens.
Research
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Bluefish as Vulnerable on a global scale because populations face significant pressure from overfishing. In the Mediterranean although there are no signs of total collapse a decrease in the number of large individuals has been observed. Scientific studies show that water temperature plays a decisive role in its migrations, with fish moving north or south to find ideal thermal limits between 14 and 30 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, biological research has confirmed that it grows very quickly in the first years of life, reaching 25 to 30 centimetres by the end of the first year.