elf

Elf

Pomatomus saltatrix

Common Names:
Elf, shad, bluefish.

Size:  Length averages 40cm, but can reach 1,2m.

Habitat:  In cooler coastal waters mostly found close to shore, but occasionally ranges some distance offshore and descending to depths of 50m over offshore banks.
  

One of our best-known angling fishes, the elf is distributed all over the world in all but the coldest seas – it is known from America, Europe and Australia as the bluefish.  The fish is known as a formidable fighter and is taken on spoons or fish bait. Elf are delicious eating, but the delicate flesh softens quickly and does not keep well.

The elf’s body is streamlined and covered in minute scales; it is a fierce predator with razor sharp teeth feeding on almost any type of fish, they can shred quite large fish in seconds – they can also inflict a nasty bite to an unwary angler’s hand.

Each winter they migrate to the warmer waters of the east coast, migrating back to the colder south and west coast for the summer. The fertilised eggs and larvae drift with the Agulhas current to the shallow sandy shores of the Cape where they grow to maturity in two to three years.