Species Profile: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic): Bluefish

• Main Authors: Pottern, Gerald B., Huish, Melvin T., Kerby, J. H.
• Other Authors: NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE FISHERY RESEARCH UNIT RALEIGH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Biology; Biological Oceanography; Ecology; *HABITATS; *FISHES; REQUIREMENTS; TEMPERATURE; UNITED STATES; COASTAL REGIONS; ENVIRONMENTS; LITERATURE SURVEYS; SENSITIVITY; POPULATION; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; OXYGEN; WATER POLLUTION; PROFILES; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; HISTORY; LIFE(BIOLOGY); INVERTEBRATES; NORTH CAROLINA; FEEDING; SEA WATER; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; RECREATION; FLORIDA; TAXONOMY; BACTERIAL DISEASES; TOLERANCES(PHYSIOLOGY); OPEN WATER; GROWTH(PHYSIOLOGY); ESTUARIES; PHOTOPERIODISM; BLUEFISH; POMATOMUS SALTATRIX; PREDATORS; SPECIES PROFILES; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA206343; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA206343

Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, distribution, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates within a specified range. They are written to assist in environmental impact assessment and decision making by coastal planners and developers. Bluefish are the most important recreational fish in the United States, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. The commercial catch is smaller but has increased during recent years. One population spawns offshore during spring from northern Florida to North Carolina, and these young migrate into mid-Atlantic coastal waters to spend their summer and fall. A second population spawns offshore during summer from North Carolina to Massachusetts, but most of these young remain offshore for the remainder of the season. In late, young and adults of both populations migrate south until the following spring. Bluefish are migratory, opportunistic, pelagic predators throughout life, and their seasonal abundance may have profound community structuring effects. Schools of juvenile bluefish may be important forage for many pelagic predators, including adults of their own species. Photoperiod apparently triggers long-range migration, and temperature serves as a proximal cue to short-range migration. Bluefish are sensitive to bacterial infection in polluted water and have little tolerance for low oxygen conditions. Estuaries; Growth physiology; Life history; Feeding; Bluefish; Pomatomus saltatrix; Habitats; Species profile.