. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. THE CATCH Tuna Confusion: Distinguishing Atlantic Bonitofrom Little Tunny By Rene'e Wolcott Shannon. ATLANTIC BONITO Found in spring, better tasting, has stripes but no spots. I , t's a case of mistaken identity. Every May, when the water first gets warmer, and again in September and October, when it's starting to cool off, heavy-bodied fish with silver bellies and red flesh school in our sounds. They are members of the tuna family and many people mistake them for the same species, but Atlantic bonito and
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. THE CATCH Tuna Confusion: Distinguishing Atlantic Bonitofrom Little Tunny By Rene'e Wolcott Shannon. ATLANTIC BONITO Found in spring, better tasting, has stripes but no spots. I , t's a case of mistaken identity. Every May, when the water first gets warmer, and again in September and October, when it's starting to cool off, heavy-bodied fish with silver bellies and red flesh school in our sounds. They are members of the tuna family and many people mistake them for the same species, but Atlantic bonito and little tunny are entirely different. "In May off our coast, we see the Atlantic bonito," says Jim Bahen, recreational fisheries agent for North Carolina Sea Grant. "It's the first fish we see coming in to feed in ; The fish reaches 4 to 5 pounds, topping out at 27 pounds. Atlantic bonito have dark squiggly lines on top, and common names for them include "little football," "striped ape" and "; Some people also call Atlantic bonito "little tunny" or "false albacore," which is caught in the fall of the year. Little tunny is another small fish, weighing up to 15 pounds. Tunny have the same squiggly stripes on their dorsal sides, but they also have dark spots on their bellies. "Another name for the little tunny is 'spotted bonito,' to further confuse things," says Bahen. "The little tunny is an extremely popular fish in Carteret County, and it's found in Beaufort and Bogue inlets. Sometimes you can catch it from the beach, and fishers converge on ; Of the two species, the Atlantic bonito is better to eat, so early summer fishers are in luck. Watch for the fish at dawn and at dusk in deeper water, where bonito feed on juvenile fish such as silver- sides, anchovies, alewives and menhaden. Birds are attracted to the leftovers, so schools 32 EARLY SUMMER 1999. Please note that the
Size: 3074px × 813px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
