Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are a migratory, oceanic species found throughout the world in

most temperate, coastal regions, except the eastern Pacific. Bluefish migrate seasonally, moving

north in spring and summer as water temperatures rise and moving south in autumn and winter

to waters in the South Atlantic Bight. During the summer, concentrations of bluefish are found in

waters from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. In winter they tend to be found offshore

between Cape Hatteras and Florida. Bluefish generally school by size, with schools that can cover

tens of square miles of ocean, equivalent to around 10,000 football fields.

 

Bluefish are fast growers and opportunistic predators, feeding voraciously on almost any prey they

can capture. Bluefish live up to 12 years and may exceed lengths of 39" and weights of 31 pounds.

Bluefish reach sexual maturity at age two and spawn offshore from Massachusetts through Florida.

Discrete groups spawn at different times and are referred to by the season in which they spawn: the

spring-spawned cohort and the summer-spawned cohort. Recent research has also identified a

fall-spawned cohort, demonstrating an expanded and prolonged spawning season.

The cohorts mix extensively on the fishing grounds and probably comprise a single genetic stock. - ASMFC