Bluefish

Bluefish
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Pomatomidae Gill, 1863 [3]
Genus:	Pomatomus Lacépède, 1802[2]
Species:	P. saltatrix
Binomial name
Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms[4]
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

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,^[5] elf and shad in South Africa.^[6][7] 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 seven-inch (18-cm) "snappers" to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as 40 lb (18 kg), though fish heavier than 20 lb (9 kg) are exceptional.