pacific saury
Cololabis saira
Pelagic, elongated fish of the North Pacific, appearing in Mexico and Nicaragua, in schools near the surface. It is heavily fished commercially.
Also called: peixe-agulha-do-pacifico, paparda, sauri, pacific saury
- maximum
- 40 cm
- record/max.
- 0.2 kg
- depth
- 0–230 m
who is the pacific saury
The Pacific saury belongs to the family Scomberesocidae, a pelagic open-sea fish that lives near the surface in schools. It has an elongated body and reaches 40 cm and 180 g. Its range runs from the North Pacific, from Korea and Japan to the Gulf of Alaska, and reaches down to Mexico and Nicaragua in Latin America. Juveniles stay among floating algae. It feeds on small crustaceans and fish eggs and larvae. When fleeing predators, it can glide over the water. It is heavily fished commercially.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the pacific saury.
fun facts
- When fleeing predators, it can glide above the water surface.
- It is prey for albacore and other scombrids.
identification
Elongated body, with a dark bluish-green back and silvery belly. It has small bright blue spots scattered along the flanks, and the fins on the lower part of the body are pale. The caudal fin is deeply forked, and the pectorals are small. It lives in schools near the surface, in open sea.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
In the North Pacific, the species reaches Mexico and Nicaragua, in open sea near the surface.
Habitat: Open sea, near the surface, from 0 to 230 m deep.
rules for the pacific saury
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It poses no danger to anglers. It is a small, fragile fish: handle it with care.
in the kitchen
It can be fried or grilled, and is sold dried, salted, canned and frozen.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00245, b = 3.15; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Cololabis saira (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cololabis sairaNames by country and language.