Atlantic Bonito Fishing

Atlantic Bonito

Other names—common bonito, katonkel, belted bonito; French: bonito à dos rayé, boniton, conite, pélamide; Japanese: hagatsuo, kigungegatsuo; Portuguese: cerda, sarrajâo, serra; Spanish: bonito del Atlántico, cabaña cariba, cerda.

The Atlantic bonito, a relative of the tuna, has a reputation as a tough fighter and a tasty fish. This combination makes it highly popular among anglers. In the eastern Atlantic, this species has moderate commercial value, although it is of limited importance in the western Atlantic, specifically off southern Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Martinique, and Grenada. The light-colored meat is served dried, salted, smoked, and canned.

Identification

The Atlantic bonito has a completely scaled body (some types of bonito have only a partially scaled body), a noticeably curved lateral line, and six to eight finlets on the back and belly between the anal fin and the tail. The caudal peduncle—the narrow muscular area connecting the body and the tail—has a lateral keel on either side with two smaller keels above and below the main keel. It also doesn’t have a swim bladder or teeth on its tongue. The back is blue or blue green, fading to silvery on the lower sides and belly; a characteristic feature of the Atlantic bonito is the dark lines that extend from the back to just below the lateral line. It can be distinguished from the tuna by its slimmer body, a mouth full of teeth, and dark lines on its back rather than its belly.

Size

The Atlantic bonito averages 2 to 10 pounds, although it may attain a weight of 20 pounds and a length of 36 inches. Smaller fish are often used as trolling baits for big-game fish. An 18- pound, 4-ounce specimen holds the all-tackle world record.

Distribution

As implied by its name, the Atlantic bonito inhabits the Atlantic Ocean, from the tropical and temperate waters around Nova Scotia to Argentina in the western Atlantic, and from Norway to South Africa in the eastern Atlantic. In the United States, it is most abundant from southern New England to New Jersey. The Atlantic bonito is rare in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico; it is absent in the West Indies, although it is frequently found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. In the Pacific Ocean, other members of this family take the place of Atlantic bonito.

Habitat

Atlantic bonito occur in brackish water and saltwater, particularly in tropical and temperate coastal environs. Schooling and migratory, they often inhabit surface inshore waters.

Life history/Behavior

In coastal waters, spawning occurs from January through July, depending on locale (June and July in the western Atlantic). Bonito reach sexual maturity at about 16 inches in length. Spawning usually takes place close to shore, in warm coastal waters. By the end of the first year, females will sometimes spawn, although many wait until the end of their second year of life. They release 450,000 to 6 million eggs, depending on size. Growth is rapid.

Food and feeding habits

Living in open waters, the Atlantic bonito feeds primarily at or near the surface in schools that are often 15 to 20 miles offshore, but are also found close to shore. Adults prey on small schooling fish and will also eat squid, mackerel, menhaden, alewives, anchovies, silversides, and shrimp; they also tend to be cannibalistic. Atlantic bonito larvae feed mostly on copepods but eat larvae of other fish as well, as do juveniles.

The Atlantic bonito is an athletic swimmer and a ferocious feeder, occasionally leaping out of the water in pursuit of its quarry. Young bonito develop this killer instinct as soon as they become able to feed. Adults and young alike feed during the day but are especially active at dawn and dusk.