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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Atlantic bonito
Sarda sarda
Παλαμίδα

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

38 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – August

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation sets an unsustainably small legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected. Always respect minimum sustainable size limits and do not consume this species during its breeding season.

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

A more sustainable alternative to bluefin tuna and a better choice for public health, as it accumulates significantly lower concentrations of heavy metals, including mercury.

Common names

FR

Pélamide

it

Palamita

es

Bonito

tr

Palamut

pt

Sarrajão

nl

Atlantische bonito

de

–

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Bluish-green back with 5-11 dark, oblique stripes, and a silver belly. Body completely covered with very small scales posterior to the corselet. Swim bladder absent. Oblique dorsal stripes with a greater angle than in other species of Sarda. Mouth moderately large with sharp teeth.

It looks like Sarda orientalis (Striped bonito), but the Sarda orientalis has horizontal stripes along the back.

Did you know?

It’s a ram ventilator, meaning it swims forward with its mouth open to force water to flow across its gills!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous and cannibalistic.
Feeds on small schooling fish, squid, shrimps.

habitat

Pelagic.
Schooling fish that may enter estuaries or coastal areas.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 91.4 cm
Max weight: 11 kg
Depth range: 1-200 m

breeding & Growth

Gonochoric (seperate sexes). Spawns from March through September in warm waters.
Growth rate: Moderate (k = 0.439yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 5-9 years
Max reported age: 9 years
Distribution: Mediterranean, Black Sea, Eastern Atlantic, Western Atlantic, South Africa.

appearance changes

As they mature and enter the spawning season, their internal composition shifts dramatically. They consume higher amounts of lipid and protein reserves from their muscles and liver to fuel reproduction, leaving their edible flesh leaner.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 44,620-446,530 eggs
Reproduction frequency: Numerous times throughout the spawning season.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms