Bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766)
The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is a bony fish in the family Pomatomidae, within the order Scombriformes and suborder Scombroidei. Its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1766), and it belongs to the genus Pomatomus in the class Teleostei.
Quick facts about the bluefish
Other English names for the bluefish include Elf, Shad, Ancho, Jumbos and Tailor. The IUCN Red List assesses the bluefish globally as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category.
- Weight
- up to 13.6 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the bluefish
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the bluefish live?
Not recorded
What is the bluefish?
The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in Australia and New Zealand, elf and shad in South Africa. It is a popular gamefish and food fish.
The bluefish is a moderately proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail. The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its single row of teeth in each jaw is uniform in size, knife-edged, and sharp. Bluefish commonly range in size from "snappers" of 7 in (18 cm) to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as 30 lb (14 kg), though fish heavier than 20 lb (9 kg) are exceptional.
From the Wikipedia article “Bluefish” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bluefish&oldid=1381450603), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the bluefish sound like?
Is the bluefish endangered?
The bluefish is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the bluefish classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderScombriformes
- familyPomatomidae
- genusPomatomus
- SpeciesPomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms Cheilodipterus heptacanthus, Cheilodipterus saltatrix, Chromis epicurorum, Gasterosteus saltatrix, Gonenion serra, Lopharis mediterraneus, Perca lophar, Pomatomix saltatrix, Pomatomus pedica, Pomatomus saltarix, Pomatomus saltator, Pomatomus saltatrix, Pomatomus skib, Rachycentron canadum, Scomber sypterus, Scomer sypterus, Sparactodon nalnal, Sypterus pallasii, Temnodon conidens, Temnodon saltator, Temnodon saltator, Temnodon tubulus
Other names and names in other languages (62)
- AnchoEnglish
- AnchoEnglish
- Blue fishEnglish
- Blue fishEnglish
- ChoppersEnglish
- ChoppersEnglish
- ElfEnglish
- ElfEnglish
- FatbackEnglish
- FatbackEnglish
- GreenfishEnglish
- GreenfishEnglish
- Horse mackerelEnglish
- Horse mackerelEnglish
- HorsemackerelEnglish
- JumbosEnglish
- JumbosEnglish
- Marine piranhaEnglish
- Marine piranhaEnglish
- RazorbacksEnglish
- RazorbacksEnglish
- Salmon bluefishEnglish
- Salmon bluefishEnglish
- ShadEnglish
- ShadEnglish
- Skip mackerelEnglish
- Skip mackerelEnglish
- SkipjackEnglish
- SkipjackEnglish
- SkipmackerelEnglish
- Snap mackerelEnglish
- Snap mackerelEnglish
- SnapperEnglish
- Snapping mackerelEnglish
- Snapping mackerelEnglish
- TailorEnglish
- TailorEnglish
- Tailor runEnglish
- Tailor runEnglish
- BlaufischGerman
- ΓοφάριGreek
- anjovaSpanish
- Anchoa de BancoSpanish
- anchova de bancoSpanish
- anjova de bancoSpanish
- Pez AzulSpanish
- Coupe-filFrench
- tassergalFrench
- גומבר טורפניHebrew
- serraItalian
- elweDutch
- blauwe visDutch
- blauwebaarsDutch
- zeepiranhaDutch
- dyphavsabborNorwegian
- anchovaPortuguese
- Луфарь обыкновенныйRussian
- blåfiskSwedish
- luferTurkish
- Луфар звичайнийUkrainian
- 鯥Chinese
- 扁鰺Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the bluefish
Other species in the same order Scombriformes.
Atlantic mackerel
Scomber scombrus
Skipjack tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
Yellowfin tuna
Thunnus albacares
Albacore
Thunnus alalunga
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
Bigeye tuna
Thunnus obesus
CompareBluefish vs Atlantic mackerelBluefish vs Skipjack tunaBluefish vs Yellowfin tunaBluefish vs Albacore
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is a bluefish?
The bluefish is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Pomatomidae in the order Scombriformes.
What is the scientific name of the bluefish?
The scientific name of the bluefish is Pomatomus saltatrix, in the genus Pomatomus.
Is the bluefish endangered?
The bluefish is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.
What other names does the bluefish have?
The bluefish is also called Elf, Shad, Ancho, Jumbos and Tailor.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pomatomus-saltatrix
“Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pomatomus-saltatrix.
@misc{pomatomus_saltatrix_2026,
title = {Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pomatomus-saltatrix},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}