Fish
Oriental Bonito
Sarda orientalis
A striped, tuna-like predator of coastal blue water that runs the East Coast and can top 10 kg.
Also known as gestreepte bonito
- Typical size
- Attains about 102 cm / 11 kg
- Habitat
- Coastal open water, Cape St Francis to Natal
The oriental bonito is a streamlined member of the tuna and mackerel family, marked with five to ten dark, slightly slanting stripes running forward and down across the back. It is a fish of the open coastal seas, hunting in the upper water column.
Along the South African coast it ranges from Cape St Francis northward into Natal, and it is widespread, if patchy, through the Indo-Pacific. It grows to about 102 cm and at least 11 kg; the all-tackle record is a 10.65 kg fish taken off the Seychelles in 1975.