Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda)

Scientific name: Sarda sarda Bloch, 1793

The Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) is a brackish-water fish of the family Scombridae. In the aquarium it needs water at 12–27°C (54–81°F).

Atlantic bonito care at a glance

Temperature: 12–27°C (54–81°F)

Biology

Epipelagic, neritic and schooling species that may enter estuaries. Known to be cannibalistic, adults prey on small schooling fishes, invertebrates like squid and shrimps and can swallow relatively large prey. Eggs and larvae pelagic. Utilized fresh, dried or salted, smoked, canned and frozen. Able to adapt to different temperatures 12? to 27?C and salinities 14 to 39.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Sarda sarda
Family: Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 91.4
Common length: 50.0
Depth range: 80–200 m (262–656 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous; depth range 80 - 200 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Oslo, Norway to Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Also known from the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to Florida, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico; then from Colombia, Venezuela, and south of the Amazon River to northern Argentina; apparently absent from most of the Caribbean Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.13-0.24; tm=1; tmax=5)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026