Diagnostic Description
(
Anglèis
)
fornì da FAO species catalogs
Body elongate, compressed. Head large, keeled above. Scales small, covering head and body and bases of fins; Lateral line almost straight. Mouth terminal, lower jaw sometimes slightly prominent; teeth strong, acute, compressed, in a single series on both jaws, villiform on vomer and palatines. Two dorsal fins, the first short and low, with 7-8 feebles spines connected by a membrane; the second long with I + 23-28. Pectoral fins short, not reaching to origin of soft dorsal fin. Anal fin a little shorter than soft dorsal fin, with 2 spines and 23-27. Caudal fin forked, but not deeply so. Colour back greenish blue, sides and belly silvery; dorsal and anal fins pale green tinged with yellow; pectoral fins bluish at base; caudal fin dull greenish tinged with yellow.
- Fischer, W.; G. Bianchi; W. B. Scott (eds.). - 1981 Fiches FAO d'identification des espèces pour les besoins de la pêche. Atlantique centre-est; zones de pêche 34, 47 (en partie). Canada Fonds de Dépôt. Ottawa, Ministère des Pêcheries et Océans Canada, en accord avec l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture, Vol. 1-7: pag. var. Fishbase: ICLARM .
- Alegre, M., J. Lleonart & J. Veny - 1992. Espècies Pesqueres d'interès comercial. Nomenclatura oficial catalana. Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura, DARP, TERMCAT. 64 pp.
- Dooley, J. K. - 1990 Pomatomidae. In: J.C. Quero et al., (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). Unesco, Portugal, vol. II: 721-722.
- Inada, T. - 1986 Pomatomidae. In: I. Nakamura; T. Inada; M. Takeda; H. Hatanaka (eds.) Important Fishes trawled off Patagonia. Japan mar. Fish. Resource Res. Center: 206-207.
- Lloris, D, J. Rucabado, LL del cerro, F. Portas, M. Demestre & A. Roig - 1984Tots els peixos del mar Català. I: Llistat de Cites i de referències. Treballs Soc. Cat. Ict. Herp., 1: 1-208.
- Lloris, D. & J. Rucabado - 1998 Guide FAO d'Identification des espèces pour les besoins de la pêche. Guide d'Identification des Ressources Marines Vivantes du Maroc. Rome, FAO: 263 pp.
- Tortonese, E. - 1986 Pomatomidae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead et al., (eds.). Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean (FNAM). Unesco, Paris, vol. II: 812-813.
- Whitehead, P.J.P. - 1974 Lutjanidae. In: W. Fischer & P. J.P. Whitehead. FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Indian Ocean (fishing area 57) and Western Central Pacific (fishing area 71). Vol. I, Rome FAO, pag var.
Distribution
(
Anglèis
)
fornì da FAO species catalogs
Subcosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical seas. Western and Eastern Atlantic Ocean. Mediterranean and Black Sea. Western and Eastern Indian Ocean. Western Central Pacific.
Size
(
Anglèis
)
fornì da FAO species catalogs
Maximum sized observed 120 cm and 14 kg; common size about 20 to 60 cm.
Brief Summary
(
Anglèis
)
fornì da FAO species catalogs
Pelagicalong the continental shelf at 0-200 m.Swift fish, living in shoals, chiefly when young, often migratory.Activity mainly diurnal.A powerful, swift voracious predator, the young hunting in schools, the adults in loose groups, often attacking shoals of mullet or other fishes (mackerels, horse mackerels, sardines and anchovies) and destroying numbers apparently far in excess of feeding requirements. Reproduction during spring and summer (Mediterranean).
Benefits
(
Anglèis
)
fornì da FAO species catalogs
Caught mainly with gill nets, lines and purse seines; occasionally with bottom trawls. Marketed mostly fresh or smoked; also dried-salted. An excellent eating fish. However, its sale in Natal is temporarily forbidden to save the stocks. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 14 432 t. The countries with the largest catches were USA (3 359 t) and Turkey (2 995 t).
