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| In the warmer weather the bluefish is
one of the most common inhabitants of the inshore and near coast waters
in the Mid-Atlantic. Ranging in size from small "snappers" of under a pound
in weight to giant "slammers" weighing up to twenty pounds, the bluefish
provides recreational opportunities and first-class table fare to millions
of people each year.
Known for their excellence on the plate as well as their fighting ability, a fresh-from-the-sea bluefish dinner is an integral part of the Jersey shore experience. Bluefish are commonly found in the estuaries and the coastal waters of every state from Maine to Florida. The are resident in the Mid-Atlantic from May until October or early November. Bluefish are caught commercially with gillnets and otter trawls. Almost the entire commercial harvest supplies the fresh domestic market with limited frozen exports. |
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In his splendid book
book BLUES, author John Hersey spends
a summer with the reader catching, studying, talking about and eating bluefish
on the island of Martha's Vineyard off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Quoting
from the liner notes, "With grace, with wit, with Love, Hersey in this
book celebrates the seas, their life, and life itself."
(1987 by Alfred A. Knopf, NY) |
| The chart on the right
shows (in pounds) commercial and recreational bluefish landings in the
Mid-Atlantic states from 1990. While, as the chart indicates, bluefish
are harvested primarily by recreational anglers, they do support a significant
commercial fishery.
(the chart is linked to the National Marine Fisheries Service web site) |
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