Atlantic bonito facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atlantic bonito |
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The Atlantic bonito (scientific name: Sarda sarda) is a cool fish that looks a bit like a large mackerel. It belongs to the Scombridae family, which also includes tunas. You can find these fish swimming in the shallow parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. People love to catch them for food and for sport!
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What Does the Atlantic Bonito Look Like?
Atlantic bonito are part of a group of fish with dorsal fins (the fins on their back) that are very close together. Their bodies are covered in scales. The scales near their pectoral fins (side fins) and along their lateral line (a special sensory line) are usually bigger.
Bonitos (fish in the Sarda group) are different from tuna in a few ways. Bonitos have flatter bodies. They also don't have teeth on the roof of their mouth. Plus, their colors are a bit different.
Atlantic Bonito vs. Striped Bonito
The Atlantic bonito shares the Atlantic waters with another fish called the striped bonito (Sarda orientalis). The striped bonito is similar but usually a bit smaller.
You can tell the Atlantic bonito apart by the dark, slanted stripes on its back. Its upper jaw (called the maxilla) is about half as long as its head. The striped bonito, on the other hand, has stripes that are almost straight across its back. Its upper jaw is more than half the length of its head.
How Big Do They Get?
Atlantic bonito can grow up to about 75 centimeters (about 2.5 feet) long. They can weigh between 5 to 6 kilograms (about 11 to 13 pounds) at this size. The biggest Atlantic bonito ever caught weighed over 18 pounds! It was caught near the Azores.
What Are Their Habits?
The Atlantic bonito is a very strong swimmer. They usually travel in pretty big groups, called schools. You can often find them offshore near New York City. Here, they are sometimes called "skipjack" because they like to jump out of the water! (But remember, the name "skipjack" usually refers to a different fish, the skipjack tuna.)
Atlantic bonito usually lay their eggs in June. Younger fish, about 12 to 15 centimeters (5 to 6 inches) long, can be found in September off Long Island.
What Do Atlantic Bonito Eat?
Atlantic bonito are hunters! They eat other fish like mackerel, menhaden, alewives, silversides, and sand lances. They also enjoy eating squid.
How Are They Fished?
Fishermen often catch bonito when they are trolling (dragging fishing lines behind a boat) for bigger fish like tuna. Bonito have also been caught using large nets called pound nets. Sometimes, they are caught by accident (called bycatch) during traditional fishing methods, like the Almadraba in Spain, which mainly targets much larger Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Some fishermen think bonito are not as good to eat as tuna, maybe because they are a bit oilier. But bonito are sometimes used as bait for other fish.
Atlantic Bonito as Food
Bonito is a very popular food fish in the Mediterranean region. Its meat tastes similar to tuna and mackerel. Its size is in between the two.
Smaller bonito, usually under 1 kilogram (about 2 pounds), are often grilled as steaks. In Bulgaria, they are called palamut. Larger bonito are cut into steaks and preserved as lakerda.
Bonito is also canned. However, if you see canned bonito del norte from Spain, it's actually albacore tuna, not Atlantic bonito!
In Algeria and Spain, bonito is often prepared as escabeche. This is a way of cooking it with vinegar and spices, which helps keep it fresh for about a week. Bonito can also be baked and served cold.
