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| Pacific saury | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Beloniformes |
| Family: | Scomberesocidae |
| Genus: | Cololabis |
| Species: | C. saira |
| Binomial name | |
| Cololabis saira (Brevoort, 1856) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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ThePacific saury (Cololabis saira) is species of fish in the familyScomberesocidae. Saury is a seafood in several East Asian cuisines and is also known by the namemackerel pike.
Saury is a fish with a small mouth, an elongated body, a series of smallfinlets between thedorsal andanal fins, and a small forkedtail. The fish's color is dark green to blue on the dorsal surface, silvery below, and there are small, bright blue blotches distributed randomly on the sides.[1]
It is typically about 25–30 centimetres (9.8–11.8 inches) long when caught, but it can grow up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) long and about 180 grams (6.3 ounces) when caught in the autumn. The life expectancy of Saury is approximately four years. Saury is a pelagic fish typically found and harvested close to the surface, but it can also be found down to depths of up to 230 metres (750 feet). When saury is escaping from predators, it floats on the surface and is similar to other fishes within the genus.
Thesepelagicschooling fish are found in the North Pacific, from China,Korea and Japan eastward to theGulf of Alaska and southward to sub-tropical Mexico,[2] preferring temperatures around 15–18 degrees Celsius (59–64 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Pacific saury is a highlymigratory species. Adults are generally found offshore, near the surface of the ocean, in schools. Juveniles associate with driftingseaweed. Pacific saury areoviparous. Eggs are attached to floating objects, such as seaweed, via filaments on the shell surface.
The saury feeds onzooplankton, such ascopepods,krill,amphipods, and the eggs andlarvae of common fish, such asanchovies, due to their lack ofstomach, and their short straightintestines[citation needed]. The internal organs of the saury may contain small, red, earthworm-like parasites namedRhadinorhynchusselkirki; these are harmless.[citation needed]
A few of the naturalpredators of Pacific saury includemarine mammals,squid andtuna.
Saury oil contains considerable levels of n-3 unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (LCMUFA) withaliphatic tails longer than 18 carbons.[3]
Pacific saury is known assanma (さんま/サンマ) orsaira (さいら/サイラ) in Japanese. Thekanji used in the Japanese name of the fish (秋刀魚) literally translates as "autumn knife fish," as its body shape resembles akatana.
Saury is one of the most prominentseasonal foods representing autumn inJapanese cuisine. It is most commonly served salted andgrilled (broiled) whole, garnished withdaikon oroshi (grateddaikon) and served alongside a bowl of rice and a bowl ofmiso soup. Other condiments may includesoy sauce,sudachi,lime, lemon, or othercitrus juices. The intestines are bitter, but many people choose not to gut the fish, as many say its bitterness, balanced by the condiments, is part of the enjoyment.
It also has many small bones, though not as many as sardines. Saury festivals are held in various parts of Japan, such as theMeguro Autumn Sanma Festival.
Sanmasashimi is becoming increasingly available but is not common. Although rarely used forsushi,sanma-zushi is a regional delicacy along parts of theKii Peninsula, especially along the coast of southernMie Prefecture. It is prepared by pickling the saury in salt and vinegar (depending on the region, bitter orange or citron vinegar may be used), and then placing it on top of vinegared rice to create the finished sushi.
The fish can also be pan-fried or cannedkabayaki.
Pacific saury is calledkkongchi (꽁치) inKorean.Ulleung island's hand-caught saury is used in other local recipes such asmulhoe (cold raw fish soup) andtteokguk (rice cake soup).[4]
Gwamegi is aKorean dish of half-dried Pacific saury made during winter. It is mostly eaten in the region ofNorth Gyeongsang Province in places such asPohang,Uljin, andYeongdeok, where a large amount of the fish are harvested.
Simmered saury (Korean:꽁치조림;RR:kkongchi jorim) is a common variety ofjorim (Korean simmered foods). Salt-grilled saury is known askkongchi gui (꽁치구이) in Korea.
Calledsaira (сайра) in Russian, Pacific saury is popular inRussia, which directly access the Pacific Ocean. In Russia, it is soldcanned with salt and spice, sometimes with the addition ofvegetable oil ortomato sauce. It is also eaten smoked.
Pacific saury is used as bait for pike and sea fishing. In the UK, they are usually calledblueys, possibly due to people confusing the Pacific saury withblue mackerel.
Around 1950, Japan caught about 98% of the catch and South Korea about 2%, but Japan's catch share has decreased proportionally in recent decades. Other nations that fish saury now include China andTaiwan. TheSoviet Union fished saury around 1960 until the dissolution of the country. Taiwan began fishing for saury around 1988 and has been expanding its catch. In 2002, the Chinese also started fishing for saury, and they have been catching over 100,000 tons a year.[citation needed]
Approximately ninety Taiwanese vessels participate in the long distance North Pacific fishery. Taiwan's total Pacific saury landings were 30k metric tons in 2021 and 40k metric tons in 2022. Boats in the Taiwanese saury fishery have been transitioning from incandescent andhigh-intensity discharge (HID) light bulbs tolight emitting diodes (LED) which allows them for an environmental impact reduction.[6]
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