Pomatomus saltatrix; the Bluefish

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Licensing information.

Identification:
As his name suggests, this fish has a blueish tint, with a lighter underside. While the young "snapper" blues are often between six to ten inches, adult fish can be over thirty inches. A bluefish over twenty pounds would be considered large. Fish have sharp teeth, and a forked tail. The spiked dorsal fin is about halfway back, giving the fish a sort of "large forehead" look.

The bluefish made his cinematic debut in the popular sequel, Jaws 2. In a particularly poignant scene, sheriff Brody spots a dark mass moving beneath the waves towards a crowd of bathers. Alarmed, he cries out to the swimmers, ordering them out of the water. He sprints to the surf, firing his pistol into the ocean. He believes he is shooting a prowling great white shark.

One of the more level headed beach goers points out his error. The shape is no shark. It is "just" a school of bluefish. The vacationers' facial expressions shift from terror, to relief, to disgust. The sheriff is shamed. Those bathers, and the predictably bullheaded town administration disdain and mock him for his vigilance. Again, it was "just" a school of bluefish.

Yet those truly worthy of disdain, if not merely pity, are they that underestimate the hazard posed by just such a school of Pomatomus saltatrix. Yes they can laugh. Yes they can jeer at the trigger happy simpleton of a sheriff. But had they exposed their fingers, toes, noses, etc. to the bluefish's raw fury, I expect they'd offer a more measured response. While Carcharodon carcharias has gained a reputation for maneating and boorishness, pound for pound he is less impressive than the fierce saltatrix. This bantamweight is the ocean's true undisputed terror.

I once witnessed my elder brother, a career military man and paragon of masculinity, laid low by a twenty inch bluefish. It took no more than a quick flop of the tail and cavalier snap of the old canines to wound him deeply, necessitating a trip to the E.R. complete with stitches. The bluefish thinks nothing of meting out such punishment. In this he bears little resemblance to so many fellow fishes in his weight class. The average fish is a poltroon, who avoids interacting with humans at all costs. These turn and make frantic retreats when encountering the mere shadow of the ominous Homo sapiens. Naturally, the bluefish spurns their company, unless he plans to eat them.

The Bluefish; an Impressive Fellow

The bluefish claims several braggable physical assets and characterological features that endear him to the amateur naturalist. Should you find yourself in the company of fishermen or beach goers, you can quickly establish your scientific credentials by expounding on this fish's virtues. While he is often dismissed by those who know him as only "a bit too oily" for the average palate, there is mileage to be gotten out of extolling his strengths. For one thing, he displays an admirable athleticism. He is capable of rapid accelerations and respectable vertical leaps. His swimming style is aided by his unique swim bladder, which can increase or decrease the amount of air it contains more rapidly than any other fish. This allows him to make sudden changes in depth.

The bluefish is also to be lauded for his cosmopolitan nature. Not given to provincialism, he ranges throughout the world's temperate oceans. He will also travel in unusually large schools. These can sometimes reach lengths of over a mile.

Of course, no account of the bluefish is complete without mention of his voracious appetite. Bluefish society frowns upon finicky eaters. He has two simple criteria for determining the merit of a potential meal. A) Can he see it? B) Can he fit at least some of it in his mouth? Yes, he will eat almost anything, though he primarily dines on fellow fish. In keeping with his other "pathy" traits, he is not averse to cannibalism. Ties of blood and kinship are all well and good, but nothing that should make one miss a meal.

Lest anyone make too much of the bluefish's penchant for violence and aggression, it's important to remind ourselves that despite my strongly anthropomorphic language, the bluefish remains a fish. While cannibalism and unbridled hostility would be somewhat off putting in a roomate or next door neighbor, they serve the saltatrix well in his daily struggle for survival. He is truly a marvel of predation. On the few occasions when I do swim in the ocean, I am more than happy to share the waters with this magnificent fish. Should I spot an approaching school, I will give it a wide berth, but view it fondly none the less.

Further Reading

 

Blues