Barracuda Information

Sphyraena barracuda (Walbaum, 1792)
Family: Sphyraenidae (Barracudas) picture (Spbar_uc.jpg) by Randall, J.E.
Show available picture(s) for Sphyraena barracuda
Order: Perciformes
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
FishBase name: Great barracuda
Max. size: 200 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 7251); max.weight: 50.0 kg (Ref. 6949)
Environment: pelagic; brackish; marine ; depth range 0 - 100 m
Climate: subtropical; 30°N - 30°S
Importance: fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: show aquarium
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.09-0.11; tm=2-4)
Distribution:
Gazetteer Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and east coast of Africa to Hawaii, Marquesas and Tuamotos Is.; throughout Micronesia. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts (USA), Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean Sea to Brazil (Ref. 9626). Eastern Atlantic: Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, Senegal (Ref. 6949); Mauritania (Ref. 5377); St. Paul's Rocks (Ref. 13121); São Tomé Island (Ref. 34088).
Diagnosis: Dorsal spines (total): 6-6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 10-10. Distinguished by the double emarginate tail fin with pale tips on each lobe, and (usually) the presence of a few scattered black blotches on the lower sides (Ref. 1602). Top of head between eyes flat or concave; mouth large (Ref. 26938).
Biology: Found predominantly at or near the surface (Ref. 6949). Juveniles occur among mangroves, estuaries and shallow sheltered inner reef areas; adults occur in a wide range of habitats from murky inner harbors to open seas. Diurnal and solitary, but can also be found in small aggregations. Feeds on fishes, cephalopods and sometimes on shrimps (Ref. 9626). Sold fresh. Utilized also dried/salted (Ref. 9987). Although this species is ciguatoxic elsewhere throughout its range, it has not been reported to be poisonous in the eastern Atlantic (Ref. 6949). Rarely attacks humans, usually with one quick, fierce strike, which, although serious, is rarely fatal. The world's record on hook and line is a 5.5-ft. fish taken in the Bahamas that weighed 103 lbs. (Ref. 13442).
Threatened: Not in IUCN Red List , (Ref. 36508)
Dangerous: traumatogenic , Halstead, B.W., P.S. Auerbach and D.R. Campbell. 1990
Coordinator:
Main Ref: Daget, J.. 1986. (Ref. 4339)