Pomatomus saltatrix 

 Adult 



25 cm 



(from Goode 1884) 



Common Name: bluefish 



Scientific Name: Pomatomus saltatrix 



Other Common Names: blue, tailor, snapper, elf, 



fatback, snap mackerel, skipjack, snapping mackerel, 



horse mackerel, greenfish, skip mackerel, chopper, 



Hatteras blue (Wilk 1 977); fasserga/(French), anchova 



de banco (Spanish) (Fischer 1978, NOAA 1985). 



Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 



Phylum: Chordata 



Class: Osteichthyes 



Order: Perciformes 



Family: Pomatomidae 



Value 



Commercial : In the Gulf of Mexico, the bluefish is 

 considered an incidental commercial species, with 

 most catches occurring in coastal waters (Lund 1 961 , 

 Barger et al. 1 978, Benson 1 982). In the Gulf of Mexico 

 during 1992, approximately 134.3 mt of bluefish were 

 harvested with over 85 per cent coming from Florida 

 (Newlin 1993). It was once common enough to support 

 a small fishery in east Texas waters, but has not been 

 of commercial interest there since the 1930's (Gunter 

 1945, Hoese 1958, Newlin 1993). In Alabama, it is a 

 relatively minor component of that state's commercial 

 fishery, contributing only 7.7 mt in 1 992 (Swingle 1 971 , 

 Newlin 1993). Louisiana landed 12.2 mt and Missis- 

 sippi landings were too small to be reported (Newlin 

 1 993). Haul seines, gill nets, and hook and line are the 

 primary types of gear used. In Florida, bluefish is 

 generally not the targeted species, but is used to 

 supplement catches of other species (GMFMC 1 981 ). 

 Harvest is limited to fish over 10 inches, and catches 

 are largely by trammel nets in waters off the Gulf 

 beaches. In recent years, incidental catch in shrimp 

 trawls have made up 25% of the Florida harvest. 



Catches are made by pound nets, gill nets, purse 

 seines, long haul seines, beach seines, and hook and 

 line here and in other areas of the range of this fish 

 (Walford et al. 1 978, GMFMC 1 981 ). The market price 

 is generally low, with the average price per pound to 

 fishermen only $0.27 in 1992 (Newlin 1993), but they 

 can supplement the income of commercial fishermen 

 when more desirable species are unavailable (Manooch 

 1 984). Bluefish are usually marketed fresh due to poor 

 freezing quality. 



Recreational : This is an important game species in 

 both U.S. and Mexican waters. Its recreational impor- 

 tance far outweighs its commercial value, especially on 

 the Atlantic seaboard (Hildebrand 1957, Lund 1961, 

 Swingle 1977, Barger et al. 1978, Benson 1982). Its 

 voracity makes it an exciting game fish and it is also an 

 excellent food fish when eaten fresh (Hoese and Moore 

 1977). Fishery information for the Gulf of Mexico 

 showed a total catch of 501,000 bluefish in 1992 

 (NMFS 1 993). Most of the recreational catch occurs in 

 coastal waters within 3 miles of shore. Angling meth- 

 ods include surf casting; float fishing from piers, docks, 

 bridges, and jetties; and trolling, casting, live bait 

 fishing, and chumming from boats (Walford et al. 

 1978). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : Bluefish 

 bioaccumulate contaminants such as polychlorinated 

 biphenyls (PCB) into various adipose tissues from the 

 water column and through the marine food chain 

 (Sanders and Haynes 1988, Eldridge and Meaburn 

 1992). Studies by the National Marine Fisheries Ser- 

 vice (NMFS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 

 and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have 

 found concentrations of PCB in large bluefish (>500 



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