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Pomatomus saltatrix |
Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix, sole member of family Pomatomidae) are marine fish found in all oceans except for the eastern Pacific.
They have a grayish-blue coloration on the top part of the body, and a silvery coloration on the belly. They can grow to about 130 cm and can weigh up to 15 kg (31 3/4 lbs). They have a reputation for being voracious predators, often eating squid and small fishes. There have been reports of bluefish eating until they regurgitate the contents of their stomachs, only to keep feeding until there are no prey remaining. Humans have been attacked by schools of bluefish in rare instances.
On the western side of the Atlantic, their range is from Argentina to Nova Scotia.
Bluefish lay eggs, the larvae of which become zooplankton and are largely at the mercy of the currents. In the western Atlantic, there are at least two populations, separated by Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. The Gulf Stream can carry larvae spawned to the south of Cape Hatteras to the north, and eddies can spin off, carrying the larvae into populations found off the coast of the Mid-Atlantic, and the New England states.
Bluefish are an important recreational fishery and are prized for their fighting ability. Their flesh is considered to be quite oily and fishy in taste.
Taxonomically, the gnomefish were formerly in Pomatomidae, but they are now in a separate family Scombropidae.