Bluefish

{{Short description|Species of marine pelagic fish (''Pomatomus saltatrix'')}} {{About|the species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Pomatomus saltatrix.png | image_caption = | image2 = Pomatomus saltatrix (FDA 220) (cropped).jpg | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn |author=Carpenter, K.E. |author2=Ralph, G. |author3=Pina Amargos, F. |author4=Collette, B.B. |author5=Singh-Renton, S. |author6=Aiken, K.A. |author7=Dooley, J. |author8=Marechal, J. |year=2015 |errata=2017 |title=''Pomatomus saltatrix'' |volume=2015 |article-number=e.T190279A115314064 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190279A19929357.en |access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref> | grandparent_authority = Gill, 1863 <ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue =2 | pages = 001–230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free | last1 = Van Der Laan | first1 = Richard | last2 = Eschmeyer | first2 = William N. | last3 = Fricke | first3 = Ronald }}</ref> | parent_authority = Lacépède, 1802<ref name = CofF>{{Cof record | genid=499 | title = Pomatomus | access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref> | taxon = Pomatomus saltatrix | authority = (Linnaeus, 1766) | synonyms = {{collapsible list| *''Gasterosteus saltatrix'' Linnaeus, 1766 *''Cheilodipterus saltatrix'' (Linnaeus, 1766) *''Perca lophar'' Forsskål, 1775 *''Cheilodipterus heptacanthus'' Lacepède, 1801 *''Pomatomus skib'' Lacepède, 1802 *''Gonenion serra'' Rafinesque, 1810 *''Lopharis mediterraneus'' Rafinesque, 1810 *''Scomber sypterus'' Pallas, 1814 *''Sypterus pallasii'' Eichwald, 1831 * ''Chromis epicurorum'' Gronow, 1854 *''Temnodon conidens'' Castelnau, 1861 *''Sparactodon nalnal'' Rochebrune, 1880 *''Temnodon tubulus'' Saville-Kent, 1893 *''Pomatomus pedica'' Whitley, 1931 }} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Pomatomus|saltatrix|month=December|year=2019}}</ref> }}

The '''bluefish''' ('''''Pomatomus saltatrix''''') is the only extant species of the family '''Pomatomidae'''. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as '''tailor''' in Australia and New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marine.csiro.au/caabsearch/caab_search.caab_report?spcode=37334002 |title=CAAB taxon report for ''Pomatomus saltatrix''|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226135544/http://www.marine.csiro.au/caabsearch/caab_search.caab_report?spcode=37334002 |archive-date=2010-02-26 |publisher=CSIRO}}</ref> '''elf''' and '''shad''' in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4H1uWszXOQC&q=other+names+for+bluefish+in+north+america+elf&pg=PA188|title=Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa|last1=Heemstra|first1=Phillip C.|last2=Heemstra|first2=Elaine|date=2004|publisher=NISC (PTY) LTD|isbn=978-1-920033-01-9|pages=187–188}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=LandBigFish | url = http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=49 | title = Bluefish Identification | access-date = 2009-02-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090227002954/http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=49 | archive-date = 2009-02-27 }}</ref> It is a popular gamefish and food fish.

The bluefish is a moderately proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail. The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its single row of teeth in each jaw is uniform in size, knife-edged, and sharp. Bluefish commonly range in size from "snappers" of {{cvt|7|in|cm}} to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as {{cvt|40|lb|kg|0}}, though fish heavier than {{cvt|20|lb|kg|0}} are exceptional.

== Taxonomy == The bluefish is the only extant species now included in the family Pomatomidae. At one time, gnomefishes were included, but these are now grouped in a separate family, Scombropidae. Extinct relatives of the bluefish include ''Carangopsis'' from the Early Eocene of Italy and ''Lophar'' from the Late Miocene of Northern California. They are also found in South America.

== Distribution == Bluefish are widely distributed around the world in tropical and subtropical waters. They are found in pelagic waters on much of the continental shelves along eastern America (though not between south Florida and northern South America), Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Seas (and during migration in between), Southeast Asia, and Australia. They are found in a variety of coastal habitats: above the continental shelf, in energetic waters near surf beaches, or by rock headlands.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm144/tm144.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008123749/http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm144/tm144.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-08 |title=New England/Mid-Atlantic | NOAA Fisheries |date=20 July 2021 |access-date=2022-11-13 }}</ref> They also enter estuaries and inhabit brackish waters.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238451205|author1=McBride, R. S.|author2= Conover, D. O. |year=1991|title= Recruitment of young-of-the-year bluefish ''Pomatomus saltatrix'' to the New York Bight - variation in abundance and growth of spring-spawned and summer-spawned cohorts|journal= Marine Ecology Progress Series |jstor=24826553|doi=10.3354/meps078205|volume=78|issue=3|pages=205–216|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=McBride, R. S.|author2= Ross, J. L.|author3=Conover, D. O. |year=1993|title= Recruitment of bluefish ''Pomatomus saltatrix'' to estuaries of the U.S. South Atlantic bight|journal=Fishery Bulletin|volume=91|issue=2|pages=389–395|url=https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/1993/912/mcbride.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227045742/http://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/1993/912/mcbride.pdf |archive-date=2016-12-27 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi= 10.1577/1548-8659(1995)124<0898:CVIASG>2.3.CO;2|title= Correlated Variations in Abundance, Size, Growth, and Loss Rates of Age-0 Bluefish in a Southern New England Estuary|year= 1995|last1= McBride|first1= Richard S.|last2= Scherer|first2= Michael D.|last3= Powell|first3= J. Christopher|journal= Transactions of the American Fisheries Society|volume= 124|issue= 6|pages= 898–910|bibcode= 1995TrAFS.124..898M}}</ref> Periodically, they leave the coasts and migrate in schools through open waters.<ref name=Fishbase/><ref name=FAO>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/3102/en |title=''Pomatomus saltatrix'' (Linnaeus, 1766)|website=FAO, Species Fact Sheet|access-date=19 October 2012}}</ref>

{{Multiple image | image1 = Bluefish, Harbor St, Branford, CT, US imported from iNaturalist photo 310788320 (cropped).jpg | align = center | caption1 = In Connecticut | image2 = Pomatomus saltatrix 287704526 (cropped).jpg | caption2 = In North Carolina | total_width = 500 }}

Along the U.S. East Coast, bluefish are found off Florida in the winter. By April, they have disappeared, heading north. By June, they may be found off Massachusetts; in years of high abundance, stragglers may be found as far north as Nova Scotia. By October, they leave the waters north of Cape Cod, heading south down the East Coast of the United States from Rhode Island south to Georgia, to the waters off Florida. Some bluefish, perhaps less migratory,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/pomatom_saltat.htm|title= ''Pomatomus saltatrix'' (Bluefish)|work=Smithsonian |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151109215848/http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/pomatom_saltat.htm|archive-date= 2015-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://combat-fishing.com/fishencyclo1/bluefishes/bluefish.htm|title= Common Name: Bluefish|work =Combat Fishing}}</ref> are present in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the year. thumb|In Turkey In a similar pattern overall, the economically significant population that spawns in Europe's Black Sea migrates south through Istanbul (Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles, Aegean Sea) and on toward Turkey's Mediterranean coast in the autumn for the cold season.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.slowfood.com/slowfish/pagine/eng/pagina.lasso?-id_pg=199|title= Saving the Sultan of Fish|access-date= 2012-11-02|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111127013552/http://www.slowfood.com/slowfish/pagine/eng/pagina.lasso?-id_pg=199|archive-date= 2011-11-27}}</ref> A campaign was launched in Turkey by Fikir Sahibi Damaklar (Intelligent Palates) to protect the Bluefish. This was reported on in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zete.com/istanbul-luferinin-kuyrugunu-birakmiyor/|title=Istanbul does not let go of the tail of its bluefish|access-date=11 May 2024|archive-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330053936/http://zete.com/istanbul-luferinin-kuyrugunu-birakmiyor/}}</ref> More recently, it was reported that bluefish near Istanbul were abundant and that there is a fishing ban every year between April 15 - Sept. 1 to preserve fish eggs and ensure sustainable fish farming.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bosphorus-witnesses-abundance-in-bluefish-187492|title=Bosphorus witnesses abundance in bluefish - article dated Nov 2023|date=November 2023 |access-date= 11 May 2024}}</ref> Along the South African coast and environs, movement patterns are roughly in parallel.<ref name=mosselbaai>{{cite web|url= http://mosselbaai.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/pomatomus-saltatrix-shad-or-elf/|title= ''Pomatomus saltatrix'' |date= 13 May 2012 }}</ref>

== Life history == {{Multiple image | image1 = Pomatomus saltatrix 561190335.jpg | caption1 = Juvenile | image2 = Very Large Bluefish.JPG | caption2 = Large adult | total_width = 400 }} Adult bluefish are typically {{cvt|30|-|60|cm|in}} long, with a maximum reported size of {{cvt|130|cm|in}} and {{cvt|14|kg|lb}}. They reproduce during spring and summer, and can live up to 9 years.<ref name=Fishbase/><ref name=FAO /> Bluefish fry eat zooplankton, and are largely at the mercy of currents.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Development of young bluefish ''Pomatomus saltatrix'' and distribution of eggs and young in Virginian coastal waters|year=1974 |volume=103 |page=477 |doi=10.1577/1548-8659(1974)103<477:DOYBPS>2.0.CO;2|issn=1548-8659 |last1=Norcross |first1=J. J. |last2=Richardson |first2=S. L. |last3=Massmann |first3=W. H. |last4=Joseph |first4=E. B. |journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society |issue=3 |bibcode=1974TrAFS.103..477N }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Ditty, J. G.|author2= Shaw, R. F. |year=1993|title=Seasonal occurrence, distribution, and abundance of larval bluefish, ''Pomatomus saltatrix'' (Family: Pomatomidae), in the northern Gulf of Mexico|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233587744|journal=Bulletin of Marine Science - Miami|volume= 56|issue=2|pages=592–601}}</ref> Spent bluefish have been found off east-central Florida, migrating north. As with most marine fish, their spawning habits are not well known. In the western side of the North Atlantic, at least two populations occur, separated by Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. The Gulf Stream can carry fry spawned to the south of Cape Hatteras to the north, and eddies can spin off, carrying them into populations found off the coast of the mid-Atlantic, and the New England states.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Kendall, A. W. Jr.|author2=Walford, L. A.|year=1979|title=Sources and distribution of bluefish, ''Pomatomus saltatrix'', larvae and juveniles off the east coast of the United States|journal=Fishery Bulletin|volume=77|issue=1|pages=213–227|url=http://fishbull.noaa.gov/77-1/kendall.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813212726/http://fishbull.noaa.gov/77-1/kendall.pdf|archive-date=2009-08-13|access-date=2022-11-13}}</ref>

== Feeding habits == {{External media |float=right |width=240px |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSfX8jg7mK0 Bluefish blitz] – YouTube |video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPEIUyRdv5s Bluefish Feeding Frenzy] – YouTube }} thumb|Bluefish dentition Adult bluefish are strong and aggressive, and live in loose groups. They are fast swimmers that prey on schools of forage fish, and continue attacking them in feeding frenzies even after they appear to have eaten their fill.<ref name=Fishbase /><ref name=FAO /> Depending on area and season, they favor menhaden and other sardine-like fish (Clupeidae), jacks (Scombridae), weakfish (Sciaenidae), grunts (Haemulidae), striped anchovies (Engraulidae), shrimp, and squid. They are cannibalistic and can destroy their own young.<ref name=Schultz>Schultz, Ken (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=R4aA5QZqj5kC&dq=Bluefish+cannibalistic&pg=PA75 ''Ken Schultz's Essentials of Fishing'']. John Wiley & Sons. {{ISBN|9780470444313}}.</ref> Bluefish sometimes chase bait through the surf zone, attacking schools in very shallow water, churning the water like a washing machine. This behavior is sometimes referred to as a "bluefish blitz".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Honachefsky|first=Nick|date=October 2016|title=Blues travelers|journal=Outdoor Life|volume=223|page=68|url=https://www.outdoorlife.com/blues-travelers-fishing-fall-bluefish-blitz/}}</ref>

In turn, bluefish are preyed upon by larger predators at all stages of their lifecycle. As juveniles, they fall victim to a wide variety of oceanic predators, including striped bass, larger bluefish, fluke (summer flounder), weakfish, tuna, sharks, rays, and dolphins. As adults, bluefish are taken by tuna, sharks, billfish, seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and many other species.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=December 12, 2013|title=Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Bluefish|url=http://www.seachoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MBA_SeafoodWatch_BluefishReport.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120003420/http://www.seachoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MBA_SeafoodWatch_BluefishReport.pdf |archive-date=2022-01-20 |access-date=January 16, 2021|website=SeaChoice.org}}</ref>

Bluefish are aggressive and have been known to inflict severe bites on fishermen. Wading or swimming among feeding bluefish schools can be dangerous.<ref>Lovko, Vincent J. (2008) [https://books.google.com/books?id=ymQlrOJLCN4C&q=%22Pfiesteria+piscicida%22 ''Pathogenicity of the Purportedly Toxic Dinoflagellates Pfiesteria Piscicida and Pseudopfiesteria Shumwayae and Related Species'']{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ProQuest. {{ISBN|9780549882640}}.</ref> In July 2006, a seven-year-old girl was attacked on a beach, near the Spanish town of Alicante, allegedly by a bluefish.<ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/depredador/rapido/voraz/dientes/sierra/elpporesp/20060714elpepunac_9/Tes "Un depredador rápido y muy voraz con dientes de sierra (in Spanish)"] ''El País'', July 14, 2006</ref> In New Jersey, the large beachfeeder schools are very common and lifeguards report never having seen bluefish bite bathers in their entire careers.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

== Parasites == thumb|Bluefish ovaries with visible ''Philometra'' (nematode parasites) females Like other fish, bluefish host a number of parasites. One parasite is ''Philometra saltatrix'', a philometrid nematode in the ovaries. The females are brownish red and may be as long as 80 mm; the males are very small.<ref name="MoravecChaabane2017">{{cite journal|last1=Moravec|first1=František|last2=Chaabane|first2=Amira|last3=Neifar|first3=Lassad|last4=Gey|first4=Delphine|last5=Justine|first5=Jean-Lou|title=Species of ''Philometra'' (Nematoda, Philometridae) from fishes off the Mediterranean coast of Africa, with a description of ''Philometra rara'' n. sp. from ''Hyporthodus haifensis'' and a molecular analysis of ''Philometra saltatrix'' from ''Pomatomus saltatrix''|journal=Parasite|volume=24|year=2017|page=8|doi=10.1051/parasite/2017008|pmid=28287390|pmc=5364780|url=}} {{open access}}</ref>

==Recreational fisheries== thumb|Recreationally caught tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) from the Manning River, NSW, Australia In Australia, bluefish, called "tailor", are caught on the east coast from Fraser Island in Queensland around the Australian coastline to Point Quobba in Western Australia, including Tasmania. Lower numbers are generally found around southern Australia. Tailor are pelagic, forming schools near the surface, and move inshore to feed in bays, estuaries, and surf zones at depths up to 15 m. The juveniles inhabit large bays and estuaries, while adults prefer the rocky headlands and beaches. Globally, the species occurs in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, but is absent from the Eastern and Northwestern Pacific.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tailor recreational fishing |url=http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Species/Tailor/Pages/Tailor-Recreational-Fishing.aspx |website=fish.wa.au |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date=27 June 2018 |archive-date=27 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627144328/http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Species/Tailor/Pages/Tailor-Recreational-Fishing.aspx }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-26 |title=Tailor Pomatomus saltatrix |url=https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/fish-species/species-list/tailor |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=www.dpi.nsw.gov.au |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tailor, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus 1766) |url=https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4246#moreinfo |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=Fishes of Australia}}</ref>

The IGFA All Tackle World Record for bluefish stands at {{cvt|14.4|kg|lboz}} landed by James Hussey near Hatteras, North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bluefish |url=https://igfa.org/member-services/world-record/common-name/Bluefish |website=igfa.org |publisher=International Game Fish Association |access-date=4 August 2024}}</ref> The unofficial record belongs to Captain Benjamin Dellacono who landed a 35 lb 6oz Blue Fish off the coast of Stonington, Connecticut.

==Commercial fisheries== {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | footer = Wild capture of bluefish by countries in thousand tonnes, 1950–2010, as reported by the FAO<ref name="faostat">Based on data sourced from the [http://faostat.fao.org/site/629/default.aspx FishStat database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107001620/http://faostat.fao.org/site/629/default.aspx |date=2012-11-07 }}</ref> | footer_align = center | footer_background = | background color = | image1 = Pomatomus saltatrix wild capture 2010.png | width1 = 150 | alt1 = | caption1 = | image2 = Pomatomus saltatrix wild capture.png | width2 = 300 | alt2 = | caption2 = | total_width = 300 }} [[File:Trolling for bluefish2.jpg|thumb|''Trolling for blue fish'' lithograph by Currier & Ives, 1866]]In the U.S., bluefish are landed primarily in recreational fisheries, but important commercial fisheries also exist in temperate and subtropical waters.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/op/bluefish/|title= Bluefish_ Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US|date= 20 July 2021|work=NOAA}}</ref> Bluefish population abundance is typically cyclical, with abundance varying widely over a span of 10 years or more.<ref name="Ulanski">{{cite book|author=Ulanski, Stan |year=2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNqu1nrQbyoC&dq=Bluefish+cannibalistic&pg=PA103|title=Fishing North Carolina's Outer Banks |publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-8078-7207-9}}</ref>

==Management== Bluefish is a popular sport and food fish, and has been widely overfished.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1093/icesjms/fsm026|title=Age, growth, and reproductive season of bluefish (''Pomatomus saltatrix'') in the Marmara region, Turkey|year=2007 |last1=Ceyhan |first1=Tevfik |last2=Akyol |first2=Okan |last3=Ayaz |first3=Adnan |last4=Juanes |first4=Francis |journal=ICES Journal of Marine Science |volume=64 |issue=3 |pages=531–536 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Fisheries management has generally stabilized its population. In the middle Atlantic region of the U.S., bluefish were heavily overfished in the late 1990s, but active management rebuilt the stock by 2007.<ref name=FishWatch>{{cite web |url=http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/bluefish/species_pages/bluefish.htm |title=Bluefish |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008165325/http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/bluefish/species_pages/bluefish.htm |archive-date=2015-10-08|website=FishWatch|publisher=NOAA|access-date=5 October 2012}}</ref> Elsewhere, public awareness efforts, such as bluefish festivals, combined with catch limits, may be having positive effects in reducing the stress on the regional stocks.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/istanbul-celebrates-new-hope-for-a-favorite-fish-with-first-annual-la14fer-festival.html|title= Istanbul Celebrates New Hope for a Favorite Fish With First-Annual 'Lüfer Festival'|work=Treehugger}}</ref>

==Culinary use== Bluefish may be baked<ref name="admed">{{cite book|author=Davidson, Alan |year=2002 |title=Mediterranean Seafood|edition=3rd|isbn=1-58008-451-6|page=100|publisher=Ten Speed Press }}</ref> or smoked.<ref name="mkt"/> The smaller ones ("snapper blues") are generally fried, as they are not very oily.<ref name="adatl">{{cite book|author=Davidson, Alan |year=1980|title=North Atlantic Seafood|isbn=0-670-51524-8|pages=92–93|publisher=Viking Press }}</ref>

Because of its fattiness, bluefish goes rancid rapidly, so it is generally not found far from its fisheries,<ref name="mkt">{{cite book|title=Fish Market: A Cookbook for Selecting and Preparing Seafood|page=87|year=2014|author=Hunt, Kathy|publisher= Running Press Adult|isbn=978-0-7624-4474-8}}</ref> but where it is available, it is often inexpensive.<ref name="sifton">{{cite web| url = https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014240-smoked-bluefish-pate|author=Sifton, Sam| title = Smoked Bluefish Pâté|work=New York Times}}</ref> It must be refrigerated and consumed soon after purchase; some recipes call for keeping it in vinegar and wine before cooking, in ''vina d'alhos''<ref name="adatl"/> or ''en escabeche''.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5915-bluefish-escabeche| title = Florence Fabricant, "Bluefish Escabeche", ''New York Times'' Cooking}}</ref>

=== Nutrition === By the same token, it is high in omega-3 fatty acids, but also in mercury and PCBs,<ref name="mkt" /> containing the high level of about 0.4 ppm of mercury on average,<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.12.034 |title=Mercury and selenium levels in 19 species of saltwater fish from New Jersey as a function of species, size, and season |journal=Science of the Total Environment|year=2011 |last1=Burger |first1=Joanna |last2=Gochfeld |first2=Michael |volume=409 |issue=8 |pages=1418–1429 |pmid=21292311 |pmc=4300121 |bibcode=2011ScTEn.409.1418B }}</ref> comparable to albacore tuna or Spanish mackerel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/mercury-levels-commercial-fish-and-shellfish-1990-2012 |title=Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012) |website=FDA |access-date=13 August 2018}}</ref> For that reason, the U.S. FDA recommends that young children and women of childbearing age consume no more than one serving per week (a serving size is about 4 ounces uncooked for an adult, 2 ounces for children ages 4–7 years, 3 ounces for children ages 8–10 years, and 4 ounces for children 11 years and older).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm393070.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824101811/https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm393070.htm |archive-date=August 24, 2017 |title=Advice about Eating Fish|website=U.S. Food & Drug Administration|date=5 September 2024 |last1=Program |first1=Human Foods }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading== * {{ITIS |id=168559 |taxon=Pomatomus saltatrix |access-date=30 January 2006}} * [http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/bluefish/species_pages/bluefish.htm Bluefish] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008165325/http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/bluefish/species_pages/bluefish.htm |date=2015-10-08 }} ''NOAA FishWatch''. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuJNRZtLexI Bluefish or Tailor video on Youtube] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N6QSWlo6LI Tailor in Australian Marine Reserve on Youtube] * {{FishBase family|family=Pomatomidae}} * {{EOL|46578889}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141104035646/http://octopus.gma.org/Tidings/bluefish.html Life history of the bluefish] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215136/http://reel-time.com/fishwire/rt_cms/dam/uploads/IMG_0035.JPG Photo of a large bluefish] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140313203958/http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/recreational_fishing/fact_sheets/fact_sheet_tailor.pdf Fisheries Western Australia Tailor Fact Sheet] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141104040154/http://www.amalfiguide.it/events-amalfi-coast/atrani/bluefish-feast Bluefish feast in Italy]

Category:Pomatomidae Category:Fish of Africa Category:Fish of Asia Category:Fish of Europe Category:Fish of North America Category:Marine fish of Australia Category:Marine fish of the United States Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Category:Fish described in 1766