BLUEFISH
By Terri Estes
Atlantic bluefish are one of the most common fish in our area. They are highly migratory and move north along the Atlantic Coastline in spring and summer as water temperatures rise, and then south in fall and winter as the water temperature starts to drop. They range along the East Coast from Maine to Florida.
Bluefish are blue-green on the back and silvery on the sides. They can live up to 12 years, grow very fast and can weigh over 30lbs. Females are able to reproduce by age 2 and can have between 400,000 and two million eggs, depending on her size. Young bluefish, in their first year of life, are called snappers. They can reach up to 10 inches in just one summer. Because of this quick growth, they have a ravenous appetite and will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouth. This makes them a fun and easy target for junior fishermen.
Bluefish have a notorious reputation for their predatory behavior. They have a prominent jaw, with razor-sharp teeth. They use their sheering jaws to ingest large parts of their prey, eating almost anything they can catch and swallow. They exhibit a feeding behavior called the “bluefish blitz.” This is where large schools of big fish attack bait fish near the surface, churning the water like a washing machine. They are not picky eaters, but usually feed on squid, bunker, and smaller fish such as silversides. Some schools of bluefish have been reported to be up to 10 square miles.
The long, torpedo-like body and forked tail make the bluefish a fast, efficient swimmer. Sharks, tunas and swordfish are generally the only fish predators large and fast enough to prey on adult bluefish. Bluefish make up a major part of the diet of mako sharks and swordfish. They are also commercially fished and are a favorite of recreational fishermen due to their size and the fight they put up. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bluefish are not endangered or overfished.
Bluefish have been known to occasionally bite humans who are swimming in the surf. They have also been known to take bites out of surfers. Over the years, a number of reported shark attacks along the East Coast have actually turned out to be bluefish attacks. So, you see, the shark isn’t always the bad guy!