Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

Cutlassfish
OTHER NAMES
cutlass fish, ribbonfish,
Atlantic cutlassfish, Pacific
cutlassfish, largehead hairtail;
Japanese: tachinouo,
tachiuo, tachuo;
Portuguese: lírio, peixeespada;
Spanish: espada,
pez sable, sable, savola.
Distribution. In North
America, the Atlantic cutlassfish
commonly ranges
from Massachusetts to
Argentina and throughout
the Gulf of Mexico, especially
Texas. In the Pacific,
cutlassfish inhabit waters
from Southern California to
northern Peru.
Habitat. Preferring muddy
bottoms in shallow water,
cutlassfish gather in large
numbers in bays, estuaries,
and shallow coastal areas.
64 Cutlassfish
Cutlassfish are members of the family Trichiuridae, encompassing
nearly 20 species. They are swift swimmers that
generally dwell on the bottom. Used as bait for larger
gamefish in the United States, cutlassfish are a valued food
and a commercial species in many other countries, especially
Japan, where they may be used for sashimi. They are
also marketed salted/dried and frozen.
Identification. Characterized by their long, compressed
bodies that taper to pointed tails, cutlassfish are also commonly
known as ribbonfish. Their heads are spear-shaped,
and the fish have sharp, arrowlike teeth in large mouths.
Their coloring is silvery, the jaws edged with black.
Size/Age. Cutlassfish can reach up to 5 feet in length and
2 pounds in weight. The average length is 3 feet. The alltackle
record for Atlantic cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus) is a
7-pound fish caught in South Africa in 1995.
Food and feeding habits. Cutlassfish feed on anchovies,
sardines, squid, and crustaceans. Adults usually feed on
pelagic prey near the surface during the daytime and
migrate to the bottom at night. Subadults and small juveniles
do the opposite.