If you ever have the chance to go shark tagging I highly recommend it whether you're a marine science major or not! Yes, all that comes to mind about this experience is how awesome it will be to catch a shark and hoping for the biggest one. But what many overlook is the bait. Many will be ever so thankful they caught a shark during the trip, but no one thinks to thank that bait fish for allowing this to happen.
Big, beautiful, bloody chunks of bonito is what is generally
used to catch the sharks. It’s a fattier and more oily fish, the perfect meal
for any Atlantic sharpnose or lemon shark nearby. You may be tempted to say
mmmm sushi when you get on board but they’re really not a fish you want to eat
because of all that oil (especially not raw). They’re usually only fished to
use as bait for the bigger species.
The bonito is a decent sized fish, they can grow to about 30
inches long and 12 pounds. They look mainly silver with bluish-green dorsal
fins and black stripes along the body. They’re easily mistaken for tuna because
they look so much like tuna on a diet, skinnier. Maybe this is because they are
known as a ram ventilator, meaning they can’t bite. They eat their prey whole. Therefore,
they eat mostly small fish like the mackerels, menhaden, and sand lance.
Although they have become very usual in our shark tagging efforts,
the bonitos still remain a mysterious fish. We still have no evidence of how
the reproduce but it does seem that they spawn in June. They live in the open ocean,
so you won’t see them on any snorkeling adventures you might take. If you are
ever in the mood to find them, recreational fisherman are told to look for the
fish jumping out of the surface to catch its prey with a couple of seabirds trailing
behind for leftovers.
I hope everyone now remembers to appreciate the bonito when
they have a chance to go shark tagging. And always remember, to show your thanks
and for a little good luck, kiss the bonito before you toss it overboard.
Some sites I used for more info...
And for more info...
I find it interesting how different scientists conducting shark tagging choose different baits. For the shark tagging in Belize, we used yellowtail snapper. The nurse sharks must love snapper because we caught a lot of them!
ReplyDeleteThis fish did not taste good to me, however to the sharks its oily and bloody meat are perfect bait. I am still confused why they are called false albacore up north. But none of the less still a great shark bait.
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