BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 269 



five miles out of Ocracoke. The Ocracoke boats are too small to go out 

 for them, but the larger Hatteras boats do so. 



This fish is widely distributed in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, off 

 Europe, Africa, and North America. There is another species in the Pacific 

 off the United States, South America, and in the Indo-Pacific region. On our 

 Atlantic coast Sarda sarda runs from Cape Ann south to Florida which seems 

 to be about the southern limit for the Americas. It is believed to come 

 inshore to spawn and is abundant in summer from Massachusetts south. 

 The average weight is four pounds and it is reported to attain twelve. 

 There is no rod and reel record. 



Euthynnus alletteratus runs larger than Sarda sarda, averaging around 

 30 pounds. This fish has been taken in some quantity off Roanoke Island 

 where it is called bonito. Unlike Sarda, it is not very edible. 



Auxis thazard is occasionally taken around Beaufort. It runs around two 

 pounds and is not good eating. 



The three fishes are easily distinguishable from each other. The conspicu- 

 ous front teeth on the lower jaw of Sarda sarda, the oblique wavy bands 

 and spots on the posterior part of the upper sides of Euthynnus, and the 

 wide separation of the two dorsals of the frigate mackerel should serve as 

 distinguishing characters to any fisherman. 



The bonitos are confused with the bluefin tuna only in name, as all 

 fishermen and anglers know the bluefin by sight. 



CABIO, ALSO CALLED COBIA, BLACK BONITO, AND SERGEANT-FISH 



Rachycentron canadus (Linnaeus) 



The cabio is a very popular gamefish of no commercial value, although 

 it is edible and marketable when taken. The genus contains only this species. 

 It is widely distributed in tropical and temperate offshore waters and runs 

 into bays, inlets, and channels. The fish occurs at least as far south as Brazil 

 and straggles north to Massachusetts. It is found in summer in the Gulf of 

 Mexico, where young a few inches long, obviously of a local population unit, 

 have been taken in July and August. It has been reported off the East Indies 

 and Japan, although not present on our own Pacific coast. 



Although cabio may be found among schools of bluefish or kingfish, they 

 are generally solitary and erratic wanderers and are nowhere common. On 

 our Atlantic coast, they occur most frequently from the Chesapeake Bay 

 region, in or near which they spawn in summer, southward down the whole 

 length of North Carolina. Occasionally, large catches are made, such as 

 the sixteen individuals caught on June i, 1945, off Wanchese, Roanoke 

 Island. They are plentiful off Mississippi. 



The cabio is a voracious feeder on fishes and crustaceans and a hard 

 fighter when hooked. It is fished by bait casting, trolling, and still fishing. 



