Also known as:
Australian bonito
bonnies
bunnies
striped bonito
Common Group Name:
Mackerels and Tunas
Family Name:
Scombridae
Genus Name:
Sarda
Species Name:
Sarda australis
Dispatch Method:
The eating qualities of bonito can be greatly improved if they are killed immediately by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding. Larger bonito may be hard to handle and should be stunned by a knock to the head first prior to attempting iki jime.
Fish Description:
- Dark blue to black dorsally, grey on sides, belly whitish.
- The dorsal stripes are almost horizontal and may occasionally extend onto the belly.
Fish Distribution:
- This species is found in coastal and offshore waters off South Eastern Australia and also New Zealand, however closely related bonitos (with similar brain location) are found worldwide including the Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) and Pacific bonito (Sarda chiliensis).
Fish Size Common Length:
Around 45 cm fork length and 2 kg, but maximum size over 100 cm and 9.5 kg.
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Partners
For assistance with identifying fishes, see fishesofaustralia.net.au. For information on size and bag limits, check out the website of your State Fisheries Department.
We thank fishesofaustralia.net.au and Australia's various Fisheries Departments for some of the thumbnail images used to assist with fish identification on this website and its applications, as licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia. Thanks also to Michigan State University and Georgia Aquarium for generous donation of xrays of some US fish species.
