Bluefish, continued 



mm FL) that exceed the limit of 2 ug/g set by the FDA. 

 This has prompted investigation to determine if states 

 with bluefish fisheries need to control the consumption 

 of large individuals by recreational and subsistence 

 fishermen that regularly eat these fish, and how to 

 minimize human exposure by regulating the bluefish 

 harvest (Sanders and Haynes 1988, Eldridge and 

 Meaburn 1992). 



Ecological : The bluefish is a pelagic marine predator, 

 and is primarily a visual feeder (Olla et al. 1970, Olla 

 and Studholme 1972). The bluefish is probably in 

 competition with other pelagic predators such as striped 

 bass (Morone saxatilis), Spanish mackerel 

 (Scomberomorous maculatus), king mackerel (S. cav- 

 alla), seatrout and weakfish (Cynoscion species), and 

 little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus). 



Range 



Overall : The bluefish occurs in temperate coastal wa- 

 ters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and is one of the 

 most widespread of the U.S. coastal and estuarine 

 fishes (Fischer 1978). Along the U.S. east coast, 

 bluefish occur from Cape Cod to Florida (Lund 1961, 

 Wilk 1 977). It is occasionally found as far north as Nova 

 Scotia, and occurs throughout the Gulf of Mexico from 

 Florida to Mexico, but are absent from Central America. 

 Along the Atlantic coast of South America, bluefish 

 occur from Argentina to Colombia. It is also found off 

 Cuba, Bermuda, and the Azores, in the eastern Atlantic 

 off the Canary Islands, and from Portugal to Senegal. 

 Its range includes the Mediterranean and Black Seas 

 as well. It is found off Africa from Angola to South 

 Africa. Distribution in the Indian Ocean includes the 

 East coast of southern Africa, Madagascar, Malay 

 Peninsula, Tasmania, and southern and western Aus- 

 tralia where it is reported abundant off southern 

 Queensland and New South Wales. There is a single 

 report in the eastern Pacific off the coast of Chile (Lund 

 1 961 ). Based on the seasonal and spatial distribution 

 of bluefish larvae, it has been hypothesized that two 

 spawning populations exist on the U.S. east coast, one 

 spawning in the spring south of Cape Hatteras, and 

 one in the summer in the Mid-Atlantic bight (Kendall 

 and Walford 1979). 



Within Study Area : Within U.S. Gulf of Mexico estuar- 

 ies, this species occurs from Florida Bay, Florida to the 

 Rio Grande, Texas (Table 5.26) (Lund 1961, Wilk 

 1 977). It is less abundant overall in the Gulf of Mexico 

 than along the Atlantic coast (Walford et al. 1978). 

 Bluefish occur in coastal waters off of Texas, Louisiana 

 (Hoese and Moore 1977), Mississippi, Alabama, and 

 the west coast of Florida (Hardy 1978, GMFMC 1981 , 

 Manooch 1984, NOAA 1985). Larval bluefish in the 

 northern Gulf of Mexico are reported to occur primarily 

 between 88° and 93° longitude, and to be relatively 



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