Description: A small to medium-sized elongate fish, with jaws extended to form a long beak filled with sharp teeth. Dorsal and anal fin located in a posterior position. Pectoral fins short. Fins without spines; composed only of soft rays. Greenish blue dorsally; lighter on the ventral side. The skeleton is, surprisingly, green.
Global Distribution: North-Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 93.0 cm (total length); common length 45.0 cm (standard length); maximum published weight 1.3 kg.
Reproduction: Oviparous; eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface.
Maturity:
Behavioural ecology: Form schools, swimming near the surface.
Population structure & migrations: Has a migratory pattern similar to the mackerel.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 0 - ? m
Habitat: Lives close to the surface.
Feeding habits: Feeds on small fishes, such as sardines and bogues.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.2
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial and gamefish species. Leaps out of the water when hooked. Occasional catches in Madeira.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety: Proximate composition per 100 g:
energy value 148.2 kcal (7.4% DRV)
protein 20.1 g (40.2% DRV)
fat 2.9 g (4.1% DRV)
REFERENCES
Borges T.C., Olim S., Erzini K. (2003). Weight–length relationships for fish species discarded in commercial fisheries of the Algarve (southern Portugal). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 19(6): 394-396.
Carpenter K.E., ed. (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO, Rome, pp. 601-1374.
González J., Hernández C., Marrero P., Rapp E. (2000). Peces de Canarias: GuÃa Submarina (5th edition). Francisco Lemus Editor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain, 235 pp.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
Spitz J., Mourocq E. Schoen V., Ridoux V. (2010). Proximate composition and energy content of forage species from the Bay of Biscay: high- or low-quality food? ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67(5): 909-915.
