Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis
Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, May 2003. Length: 35 cm (14 inches). Captain Javier seen holding fish.
Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off the San Luis Bank, Baja California Sur, February 2021. Length: 48 cm (19 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chip Shapley, Los Barriles.
Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, May 2003. Length: 58 cm (23 inches).
Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, January 2014. Length: 79 cm (2 feet 7 inches). Photograph of the now departed “Ramon” (a longtime good friend of Mexican-fish.com) within the confines of Puerto Los Cabos. Photograph courtesy of Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas, La Playita, Baja California Sur.
Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, February 2023. Length: 84 cm (2 feet 9 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.
The Striped Bonito, Sarda orientalis, is a member of the Mackerel or Scombridae Family, and in known in Mexico as bonito mono. Globally, there are four species in the genus Sarda, of which three are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Striped Bonito has an elongated rounded fusiform tuna-like body that is designed aerodynamically for speed. They are dark blue-gray dorsally (darker on their head) and silvery ventrally and on their flanks. They have a series of 8 to 11 broken narrow stripes running horizontally along their upper back. Their second dorsal fin is black. They have a moderately large mouth equipped with large prominent conical teeth on both jaws. Their anal fin has 13 to 16 rays and 5 to 7 finlets; their caudal fin is deeply forked with 2 small keels separated by 1 large keel at the base; the first dorsal fin has 17 to 19 spines; their second dorsal fin is set close to the first and has 14 to 16 rays followed by 7 to 9 finlets. They have small gill rakers. Their body is covered with small scales.
The Striped Bonito is a coastal pelagic schooling species often found associated with schools of small tuna. They are found from the surface to depths up to 165 m (550 feet). They reach a maximum of 1.17 m (3 feet 10 inches) in length and 10.7 kg (24 lbs) in weight. They form large schools and feed on clupeoids, crustaceans, fish, and squids. They are found in water temperatures between 13.5oC (56oF) and 23oC (73oF). Reproduction is oviparous with each female spawning several times per year and releasing between 80,000 and 115,000 eggs annually. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. The Striped Bonito is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
In Mexican waters the Striped Bonito is a resident of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, in the southern 20% of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala. I have a recent report from Chris Wheaton that he catches the Striped Bonito fairly regularly in coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, extending the known range of this species further north into the Sea of Cortez.
The Striped Bonito can be confused with the Black Skipjack, Euthynnus lineatus (distinguishing black spots on throat), the Skipjack Tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis (4 to 6 horizontal dark stripes on sides), and most certainly the Pacific Bonito, Sarda chiliensis (5 or 6 oblique dark stripes on upper back).
From a conservation perspective the Striped Bonito is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations, however, their populations are poorly documented. They are not fished commercially but are are caught by commercial fisherman as an incidental catch with purse seines and sold fresh, frozen, dry-salted, and canned. They are also caught by artisanal fishermen. They are considered an excellent food fish. Due to their size, coastal habitats, and horrific fights when hooked, they are also a favorite target of recreational sports anglers.