Instinct or Hunger?
Read More About The Savage Blueish
You may describe bluefish in many ways, but probably not as a predator. And yet that’s what it is. The bluefish roams the ocean to devour baitfish, and is in turn preyed upon by fishermen. And it always puts up a fight. Fishermen as well as scientists have described this bluefish savagery in many ways.
For instance, the 19th century academic Spencer Baird (who headed the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries) described the bluefish as an ‘animated chopping machine’. A school of bluefish, according to Baird, resembles a ‘pack of hungry wolves, destroying everything before them’.
Henry Bigelow and William Schroeder described bluefish as “sea pirates” and the “most ferocious and bloodthirsty fish”! These portrayals maybe exaggerated, but it’s true that a school of bluefish leaves behind a trail of dead baitfish, such as herring, menhaden, and mackerel. Blood is also a common sight.
Birds that dive for fish are also aware of the bluefish predators. So much so that according to Henry Lyman (publisher emeritus of the The Salt Water Sportsman), bluefish is one of the two species keeping birds from diving. The other is killer whales.
The savagery of the bluefish is not restricted to its preying; it is also difficult to catch it. Older anglers call bluefish “tailors”, describing their abilities to cut through nets. That is why bluefish is so popular among fishermen, for serves as a great game as well as being great seafood.
But they are also a menace for fishermen, for they eat away the bait. In fact, in good lighting, bluefish has the ability to spot bait even before it lands in the water, and it swiftly rushes to devour it. Sleek killers, that’s what they are.
Fatima M.
Freelance Blogger
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