Atlantic bonito

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Atlantic bonito
Sarda sarda.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scombriformes
Family: Scombridae
Genus: Sarda
Species:
S. sarda
Binomial name
Sarda sarda
(Bloch, 1793) [2]
Synonyms [3]
  • Scomber sardaBloch, 1793
  • Palamita sarda(Bloch, 1793)
  • Pelamis sarda(Bloch, 1793)
  • Pelamys sarda(Bloch, 1793)
  • Thynnus sardus(Bloch, 1793)
  • Sarda pelamis(Brünnich, 1768)
  • Scomber mediterraneusBloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Sarda mediterranea(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
  • Scomber palamitus Rafinesque, 1810
  • Scomber ponticus Pallas, 1814
  • Thynnus brachypterus Cuvier, 1829
Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda Bonito photo.jpg
Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda

The Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) is a large mackerel-like fish of the family Scombridae. It is common in shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea, where it is an important commercial and game fish.

Contents

Description

Atlantic bonito belong to a group which have the dorsal fins very near, or separated by a narrow interspace. Its body is completely scaled, with those scales in the pectoral fin area and the lateral line usually larger in size. Bonitos (fishes in the genus Sarda) differ from tuna by their compressed bodies, their lack of teeth on the roof of the mouth, and certain differences in colouration.

Atlantic bonito share Atlantic waters with the striped bonito, Sarda orientalis (the Atlantic population of which is sometimes considered a separate species, Sarda velox). The striped bonito has been taken on the Atlantic coast as far north as Cape Cod. It is similar in its habits, but somewhat smaller than the more common Atlantic bonito. The Atlantic bonito can be distinguished from its relative by its dark oblique stripes on the back and with a maxillary only about half as long as the head, whereas the striped bonito has striping on its topside nearly horizontal and a maxillary more than half the length of the head.

Atlantic bonito grow up to 75 centimetres (30 in) and weigh 5–6 kilograms (11–13 lb) at this size. The world record, 18 pounds 4 ounces (8.3 kg), was caught in the Azores. [4]

Habits

It is a strong swimmer. Normally, it travels in fairly large schools and is common offshore in the vicinity of New York City, where it is known as "skipjack" because of its habit of jumping from the water. (However, the name "skipjack" more commonly refers to the skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis.) The spawning season is June, and specimens 12–15 centimetres (4.7–5.9 in) long are taken in September off Long Island.

Diet

Atlantic bonito eat mackerel, menhaden, alewives, silversides, sand lances, and other fishes, as well as squid.

Fishing technique

Bonito are often captured by tuna fishermen when trolling for bigger game. Bonito have also been caught using pound nets, and amongst other species as bycatch during the traditional fishing practice of Almadraba in addition to the main catch, the far larger Atlantic bluefin tuna. Thought by most fishermen to be inferior to tuna as a food fish, possibly because of the greater oiliness, it is sometimes used as bait.

As food

Bonito is a popular food fish in the Mediterranean; its flesh is similar to tuna and mackerel, and its size is intermediate between the two. [5]

Bonito under 1 kg (2.2 lb) or so (called palamut ~ паламуд in Bulgarian) are often grilled as steaks. Larger bonito (torik in Turkish) are cut into steaks and preserved as lakerda . [5] Bonito is also canned, but canned bonito del norte (Spanish) is not bonito, but albacore tuna.

In Algeria and Spain, it is often prepared as escabeche , which preserves it for about a week. [5] Bonito may also be baked and served cold. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuna</span> Tribe of fishes

A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which averages 2 m (6.6 ft) and is believed to live up to 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scombridae</span> Family of fishes

The mackerel, tuna, and bonito family, Scombridae, includes many of the most important and familiar food fishes. The family consists of 51 species in 15 genera and two subfamilies. All species are in the subfamily Scombrinae, except the butterfly kingfish, which is the sole member of subfamily Gasterochismatinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albacore</span> Species of tuna

The albacore, known also as the longfin tuna, is a species of tuna of the order Scombriformes. It is found in temperate and tropical waters across the globe in the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. There are six distinct stocks known globally in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. The albacore has an elongate, fusiform body with a conical snout, large eyes, and remarkably long pectoral fins. Its body is a deep blue dorsally and shades of silvery white ventrally. Individuals can reach up to 1.4 m in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic mackerel</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic mackerel, also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the epipelagic zone down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonito</span> Tribe of fishes

Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of eight species across four genera; three of those four genera are monotypic, having a single species each. Bonitos closely resemble the skipjack tuna, which is often called a bonito, especially in Japanese contexts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowfin tuna</span> Species of fish

The yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipjack tuna</span> Species of fish

The skipjack tuna is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae, and is the only member of the genus Katsuwonus. It is otherwise known as the balaya, bakulan/kayu, tongkol/aya, aku (Hawaii), cakalang (Indonesia), katsuo, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna or victor fish. It grows up to 1 m (3 ft) in length. It is a cosmopolitan pelagic fish found in tropical and warm-temperate waters. It is a very important species for fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double-lined mackerel</span> Species of fish

The double-lined mackerel, is a species of Spanish mackerel in the family Scombridae. This species is sometimes also called the scad mackerel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dogtooth tuna</span> Species of fish

The dogtooth tuna, also known as white tuna, is a species of pelagic marine fish which belongs to the family Scombridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian bonito</span> Species of fish

The Australian bonito, horse mackerel or little bonito, Sarda australis is a fish of the family Scombridae and is found in eastern Australia and New Zealand. They swim at depths reaching depths of approximately 30 m (98 ft), in open water. Its length is commonly at around 40–45 centimetres (16–18 in) fork length and 1.8–2.3 kilograms (4.0–5.1 lb) weight. Its maximum length and weight are about 100 centimetres (39 in) and 9.4 kilograms (21 lb), respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterfly kingfish</span> Species of fish

The butterfly kingfish is an ocean-dwelling ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae – a family which it shares with the tunas, mackerels, Spanish mackerels, and bonitos. Unlike the 50 species from those four tribes, however, this species is unique in that it is the only scombrid to be classified apart from the rest, into the subfamily Gasterochismatinae and genus Gasterochisma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlin fishing</span>

Marlin fishing or billfishing is offshore saltwater game fishing targeting several species of fast-swimming pelagic predatory fish with elongated rostrum collectively known as billfish, which include those from the families Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae (swordfish). It is considered by some fishermen to be a pinnacle of big-game fishing, due to the size, speed and power of the billfish and their relative elusiveness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish mackerel</span> Tribe of fishes

Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – a family that it shares with three sister tribes, the tunas, mackerels, and bonitos, and the butterfly kingfish. Scomberomorini comprises 21 species across three genera. They are pelagic fish, fast swimmers and predatory in nature, that fight vigorously when caught. Seer fishes are mainly caught using hooks and lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little tunny</span> Species of fish

The little tunny, also known as the false albacore, little tuna, bonita, or erroneously as the blue bonito, is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black seas; in the western Atlantic, it ranges from Brazil to the New England states. The little tunny is a pelagic fish that can be found regularly in both offshore and inshore waters, and it is classified as a highly migratory species. The little tunny is best identified by the "worm-like" markings on its back and the dark spots appearing between its pectoral and ventral fins.

<i>Sarda</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Sarda is a genus of medium-sized, predatory ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, and belonging to the tribe Sardini, more commonly called the bonito tribe. There are four species which comprise the genus Sarda. One of those species, the Pacific bonito, is further divided into two subspecies.

<i>Cybiosarda elegans</i> Species of fish

The leaping bonito is a species of saltwater finfish from the Scombridae (Mackerel) family. Scombridae includes such tribes as the mackerels, tunas, and bonitos – of the latter of which, the Sardini tribe, this fish is a member. It is the only member of the genus Cybiosarda, which is therefore called a monotypic taxon. Since the bonitos and tunas are close relatives, this fish has variously been referred to by such other common names as Australian tuna, striped bonito, and Watson's bonito.

Lakerda is a pickled bonito dish eaten as a mezze in the Balkans and Middle East. Lakerda made from one-year-old bonito migrating through the Bosphorus is especially prized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scombrinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

The Scombrinae are a subfamily of ray-finned bony fishes in the family Scombridae. Of the 51 species in the Scombridae, 50 are in Scombrinae – with the sole exception being the butterfly kingfish, which is placed in the monospecific subfamily Gasterochismatinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scombrini</span> Tribe of fishes

Scombrini, commonly called the true mackerels, is a tribe of ray-finned bony fishes in the mackerel family, Scombridae – a family it shares with the Spanish mackerel, tuna and bonito tribes, plus the butterfly kingfish.

References

  1. Collette, B.; Amorim, A.; Boustany, A.; Carpenter, K.; Dooley, J.; Fox, W.; Fredou, F.; Fritzsche, R.; Graves, J.; Hazin, F.; Herdson, D.; Juan Jorda, M.J.; Leite, N.; Lessa, R.; Matsuura, K.; Minte-Vera, C.; Nelson, J.; Nelson, R.; Oxenford, H.; Travassos, P. (2011). "Sarda sarda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T155096A4703085. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T155096A4703085.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. "Sarda sarda". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  3. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Sarda sarda" in FishBase. February 2018 version.
  4. Brant, Ken (2005-05-02). "Atlantic Bonito". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  5. 1 2 3 Alan Davidson, Mediterranean Seafood, Penguin, 1972. ISBN   0-14-046174-4, p. 123
  6. "Palamut papaz yahnisi", Davidson, p. 359