#Record bluefish full#

“The landings of recreational fishermen peaked at 163.76 million pounds in 1983, but fell sharply during the 1980s and 1990s. “These fish will migrate depending upon the season up and down the coast, then anglers from Maine to Florida go after these animals near shoals, inlets, and rips, where they congregate to feed on big schools of food,” he added. The commercial quota can be increased if it is anticipated that the recreational fishery will not land their entire allocation for the upcoming year,” Batsavage explained.īluefish are mainly a recreational fishery, with sport fishermen catching about 87% of the total catch of this species up and down the East Coast. “Each state is required to close its waters to fishing when its share of the commercial quota has been landed. North Carolina is allocated 32.06% of the coastwide quota for bluefish, which in 2021 is about 887,000 pounds, he said.

“Amendment 1 allocated sector-based harvest percentages for the recreational catch of 83%, and commercial catch, of 17% of the fisheries.” “Several amendments have been added over time since the adoption of the bluefish fishery management plan,” said Chris Batsavage, special assistant for Councils, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Management of bluefish was passed along to the 1989 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Fishery Management Plan for compliance requirements, which allows for an annually adjusted, state-by-state commercial quota system and recreational harvest limit to reduce fishing mortality. This species is included in the North Carolina Fishery Management Plan for Interjurisdictional Fisheries. Photo: Robert Michelson Managing Bluefish “Billfish, tuna and sharks are usually the only predators large and fast enough to catch large adult bluefish,” he said.Ĭlose-up of a bluefish. “Bluefish are opportunistic feeders and will eat Atlantic menhaden, silversides, anchovies, Atlantic croaker, spot, squid, shrimp, lobster, crabs, worms, other bluefish and many other fish species,” said Behringer. Good thing I remembered that story after I jumped into the water to record the event. You do not want to be in the water with this fish while they feed – they will attack a diver and chew right through your wetsuit. Having been in the water filming a school of these fish while they blitz-fed on Atlantic menhaden, I remembered a story that was told to me when I first started scuba diving some 30 years earlier. They are voracious feeders eating practically anything they catch in their path while eating,” Behringer said. This mixes the water at the surface that looks something like a washing machine during its cleaning cycle.

“This species exhibits a behavior known as a ‘blitz.’ Large concentrations of large fish viciously attack bait fish that are near the surface, and hit them from below. This fish weighed 31 pounds, 12 ounces, and was landed on Jan. The all-tackle world record bluefish was caught off Hatteras in 1972. This species will spawn several times during the spring and summer months,” he said. “Females can lay between 400,000 to 2 million eggs per season, depending upon their size. Recreational fishing citations are given for fish weighing 15 pounds or more. In North Carolina waters, bluefish typically grow up to 34 inches in length and weigh 19 pounds. The fish will typically be between 15 to 20 inches in length at that age,” he said. They are able to reproduce by the time they are 2 years old. This species grows quickly, and can grow up to 31 pounds and be 39 inches in length. “Bluefish live to be as old as 12 years of age. They have a deep, forked tail that resembles that of a tuna, another indicator this fish is designed for speed,” said David Behringer, Division of Marine Fisheries bluefish biologist. The dorsal fin is also set-back on the top of the fish to reduce drag during quick bursts of speed to catch their prey. The second dorsal is just about the same size as the anal fin.

“The dorsal fin is divided into two sections with the first section about half as long and high as the second fin.

#Record bluefish full#

They have a protruding, and powerful jaw full of sharp, serrated teeth.

Bluefish have a blue-green coloration along their back, and appear silver on their sides and bottom. This species is known for hard strikes on fishermen’s bait, and a challenging fight to land after being hooked. They arrive in North Carolina waters in early spring, while pursuing forage species including menhaden, anchovies and Atlantic silversides as they return to nearshore waters.īluefish are also known as blues, snappers, choppers and Taylor blues, according to the state Division of Marine Fisheries. Photo: Robert Michelsonīluefish are found along the East Coast from Maine to Eastern Florida. Close-up photograph of a bluefish, swimming left.