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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


Marine Fish: Bonito


 Fishes are aquatic vertebrates that have fins, gills and scales. Gills are the part of the respiratory system that provide surface area for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide under water.

Fish are ectotherms, commonly referred to as 'cold-blooded', meaning their temperature is regulated by the temperature of their environment. They have a range of diets, being herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores. Some fish reproduce by laying eggs, while others reproduce by bearing live young.

California fish species reside in freshwater and coastal/marine waters. Coastal, or marine fish are an abundant and valuable resource. However, the ocean's supply is not limitless, and therefore careful planning and education must be undertaken to ensure the sustainability of the world's largest food source.
pacific bonita are tuna like fish caught off the coast of California Tuna-shaped, bonito are dark blue above with silver below and have several dark oblique lines on the back. They have striped backs and silvery bellies and grow to a length of about 30 inches. Like tunas, bonita are streamlined, with a narrow tail base, a forked tail, and a row of small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins.

The body of the Pacific bonito is cigar-shaped and somewhat compressed. The head is pointed and conical, and the mouth is large.  Bonitos are of both commercial and sporting value.

The dorsal fin of the Eastern Pacific Bonito is dark, although the second dorsal fin has a white tip. The anal and pelvic fins are white. The caudal and pectoral fins are gray. The tail base is composed of two keels separated by a third larger keel. There are no spots between the pelvic and pectoral fins.
The preferred food of bonito appears to be small fishes, such as anchovies and sardines. Occasionally, they rely heavily upon squid in their daily diet.

Bonito may not spawn successfully every year in California, but successful spawning does take place further south each year. The bulk of southern California spawning appears to take place from late January through May.

The free floating eggs require about 3 days to hatch at average spring water temperatures. Young fish resulting from local successful spawnings are usually first observed by the various live bait haulers when they are 6 to 10 inches long in the early summer months.

These fish will often weigh 3 pounds or more by the fall of the year and by May of the following year many will weigh 6 or 7 pounds..
bonita fish are caught weighing between 3-12 pounds on the california coast Pacific bonito are excellent fighters and have hearty appetites. Once a school is aroused they will take almost any bait or lure that is tossed their way. Most Pacific bonito are taken by a combination of trolling and live bait fishing.

The schools are located by trolling feathers, and live anchovies or squid pieces are used to bait the fish once located. Fishing for bonito generally takes place offshore in 300 to 600 feet of water, but may occur next to kelp beds when the fish are near shore.

Pacific bonito may arrive off of California as the ocean warms in the spring, but may never show up if oceanic conditions dictate colder than normal water temperatures. Bonito anglers generally catch 1 to 4 year old fish, weighing between 3 and 12 pounds. Pacific bonito fishing tapers off in the fall as the water cools, but persistent anglers still find good bonito fishing around warm water outfalls associated with power plants.
Bonito are not usually difficult to locate. If there is no sign of fish, troll a feather jig to locate them. When you get a strike, stop the boat and either fish with live bait or cast jigs. At other times, you can see them crashing bait and boiling on the surface, and you cast to them. Sometimes they school around kelp areas. The best fishing is from early summer to early fall, and it's often best in late summer.

Pacific bonito prey on smaller pelagic fish as well as on squid and shrimp, generally in surface waters. Anchovies and sardines appear to be their preferred foods.

The Eastern Pacific Bonito is normally an incidental catch on live sardines, rapidly trolled feathers, or hootchies, or off the bottom with chrome yo-yo iron. For it size it puts up a horrific fight. The Eastern Pacific Bonito is viewed by locals as a valued food substance utilized as a component of machaca.
 
 
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