A fish blog.com

Last year schools of Atlantic bonito visited Norway. Scientists and sport fishermen wondered if this was just an accidental visit or if the Atlantic bonito would find their way back to Norway in the summer of 2011.

Well, the bonito returned, but they were not as numerous as in 2010. While hundreds of Atlantic bonito were caught last year, less than 50 has been caught this year. The size of the fish indicates that it is the same year-class that visited the coastal areas last year. The decline in catches and the size of the fish may not be a good sign for those who hoped for a new migration pattern towards Norway and Sweden.

Still; fish have been caught; like the one on the picture above. This one was caught by Øyvind Mong on june 24th in the southern part of Norway. The main question is still not answered. Has this fish returned or has it stayed near the coast throughout the winter and spring?

Last year most of the Atlantic bonito were caught during fishing for mackerel. It is therefore possible that the bonito entering the coast in 2010 has stayed – and migrated – along with local stocks of mackerel in fjords or in The North Sea. I guess we’ll never know, but we will have the same expectations and question coming up next year. Will it return?

Thanks to Øyvind Mong for using the pictures.

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