Pomatomus saltatrix

Bluefish have a sea green or bluish green back and silvery belly. The pectoral fins, located near the gill cover, have a black blotch at the base. There are two dorsal fins, located on the back, and one anal fin, located on the underside of the body just forward of the tail fin and used for stabilization while swimming. The first dorsal fin is spiny and can fold back into a groove. The ventral fins are well forward of the dorsals and are located underneath the pectorals. The tail fin is broad and forked. The lower jaw protrudes slightly beyond the upper jaw of the large mouth. The upper and lower jaws are lined with a series of stout, conical caninelike teeth. Maximum length is about 3.5 feet (a little more than 1 meter).

This species ranges in the western North Atlantic from Nova Scotia south to Argentina (including Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico), but it is rare between southern Florida and northern South America. It also occurs in other warm seas worldwide but not in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Within the Middle Atlantic region off eastern North America bluefish occur in large bays and estuaries as well as across the entire continental shelf. Adults occur in bays and estuaries primarily in the warmest summer months. Juvenile stages have been recorded from all estuaries surveyed within the Middle Atlantic region, but eggs and larvae occur in oceanic waters. [Source: Shepherd and Packard 2006]

Bluefish travel in schools of like-sized individuals and undertake seasonal migrations. Along the U.S. Atlantic coast they generally move north in spring-summer to centers of abundance near New York and southern New England and south in autumn-winter to the waters as far as southeastern Florida. Spawning occurs offshore in spring-summer (possibly in fall off Florida). Eggs hatch in about 2 days at 18-22°C. Juveniles move into estuaries in spring or summer (earlier in the south than in the north) and move out to sea in fall as temperatures decline. [Source: Shepherd and Packard 2006]