Pacific Saury

The Pacific Saury (Cololabis saira), also known as the Mackerel Pike, is a slender pelagic fish in the family Scomberesocidae, related to needlefish and halfbeaks within the order Beloniformes. It inhabits open surface waters of the temperate North Pacific, ranging widely from the coasts of Japan and Russia across to the west coast of North America. Like its Atlantic relative the Atlantic Saury, it has short, pointed, beak-like jaws rather than the elongated jaws of true needlefish, along with a distinctive row of small finlets between the dorsal and anal fins and the tail. Pacific Saury form large surface schools and undertake extensive seasonal migrations, making them one of the more abundant small pelagic fish of the North Pacific.

• Long, slender, cylindrical body, typically 30-38 cm as an adult
• Short, pointed, beak-like jaws, notably shorter than the elongated jaws of true needlefish
• A row of small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins, leading to the tail, similar to those on mackerel
• Dark blue-green iridescent back fading to bright silvery sides and belly
• Deeply forked tail fin used for quick bursts of speed near the surface
• Slightly bluish-green tint sometimes visible near the tip of the upper jaw
• Distinguished from the Atlantic Saury mainly by its North Pacific range and slightly smaller typical adult size

Pacific Saury are a pelagic, open-ocean species found at the surface of temperate waters across the North Pacific, from the coasts of Japan, Korea, and Russia eastward to the Gulf of Alaska and the west coast of North America. They generally stay well offshore over deep water, forming large surface schools that undertake extensive seasonal north-south migrations tied to water temperature and food availability. The species favors cool to temperate surface waters and avoids both tropical and polar extremes, making its range shift noticeably with the seasons as it follows shifting current systems and productive feeding grounds across the North Pacific basin.

Pacific Saury travel in large, dense surface schools and are known for extensive seasonal migrations across the North Pacific, moving between feeding and spawning grounds as water temperatures change through the year. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and other small organisms near the surface, often schooling tightly while doing so. Schools are heavily targeted by predators including tuna, squid, seabirds, and marine mammals, making Pacific Saury an important prey link in North Pacific food webs and one of the most abundant small pelagic fish species in the region. Spawning occurs in open water over an extended season, with eggs bearing filaments that attach to floating debris or vegetation.