Editing Bluefish (section)

== Feeding habits ==
[[File:Very Large Bluefish.JPG|thumb|left|A large bluefish]]
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|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSfX8jg7mK0 Bluefish blitz] – YouTube
|video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPEIUyRdv5s Bluefish Feeding Frenzy] – YouTube
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Adult bluefish are strong and aggressive, and live in loose groups. They are fast swimmers that prey on [[Shoaling and schooling|schools]] of [[forage fish]], and continue attacking them in [[Feeding frenzy|feeding frenzies]] even after they appear to have eaten their fill.<ref name=Fishbase /><ref name=FAO /> Depending on area and season, they favor [[menhaden]] and other [[sardine]]-like fish ([[Clupeidae]]), jacks ([[Scombridae]]), [[weakfish]] ([[Sciaenidae]]), grunts ([[Haemulidae]]), striped anchovies ([[Engraulidae]]), [[shrimp]], and [[squid]]. They are [[Cannibalism (zoology)|cannibalistic]] and can destroy their own young.<ref name=Schultz>Schultz, Ken (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=R4aA5QZqj5kC&dq=Bluefish+cannibalistic&pg=PA75 ''Ken Schultz's Essentials of Fishing'']. John Wiley & Sons. {{ISBN|9780470444313}}.</ref> Bluefish sometimes chase bait through the [[surf zone]], attacking schools in very shallow water, churning the water like a washing machine. This behavior is sometimes referred to as a "bluefish blitz".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Honachefsky|first=Nick|date=October 2016|title=Blues travelers|journal=Outdoor Life|volume=223|pages=68|url=https://www.outdoorlife.com/blues-travelers-fishing-fall-bluefish-blitz/}}</ref>

In turn, bluefish are preyed upon by larger predators at all stages of their lifecycle.  As juveniles, they fall victim to a wide variety of oceanic predators, including striped bass, larger bluefish, fluke (summer flounder), weakfish, tuna, sharks, rays, and dolphins.  As adults, bluefish are taken by tuna, sharks, billfish, seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and many other species.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=December 12, 2013|title=Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Bluefish|url=http://www.seachoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MBA_SeafoodWatch_BluefishReport.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120003420/http://www.seachoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MBA_SeafoodWatch_BluefishReport.pdf |archive-date=2022-01-20 |access-date=January 16, 2021|website=SeaChoice.org}}</ref>

Bluefish are aggressive and have been known to inflict severe bites on fishermen. Wading or swimming among feeding bluefish schools can be dangerous.<ref>Lovko, Vincent J. (2008) [https://books.google.com/books?id=ymQlrOJLCN4C&q=%22Pfiesteria+piscicida%22 ''Pathogenicity of the Purportedly Toxic Dinoflagellates Pfiesteria Piscicida and Pseudopfiesteria Shumwayae and Related Species'']{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ProQuest. {{ISBN|9780549882640}}.</ref> In July 2006, a seven-year-old girl was attacked on a beach, near the Spanish town of [[Alicante]], allegedly by a bluefish.<ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/depredador/rapido/voraz/dientes/sierra/elpporesp/20060714elpepunac_9/Tes "Un depredador rápido y muy voraz con dientes de sierra (in Spanish)"] ''El País'', July 14, 2006</ref> In New Jersey, the large beachfeeder schools are very common and lifeguards report never having seen bluefish bite bathers in their entire careers.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}