Facts about Largehead Hairtail

Facts about Largehead Hairtail

The largehead hairtail can be found in coastal temperate and tropical waters around the world. This dish goes by many other names including, but not limited to, the beltfish, the ribbonfish, and the cutlassfish. Hairtails have a thin, pointed tail and shiny metallic silver skin instead of scales. 

• These fish are carnivores that feed on invertebrates like squid and krill,

along with small fish like anchovies and sardines. Their mouth contains long, barbed fangs. 

• When hunting, a hairtail will float vertically near the surface of the water when a fish swims above them, they will lunge and nab the fish with their teeth. Sometimes they will jump entirely out of the water after lunging for a fish. Large adults typically feed near the surface during the day and migrate to the bottom at night.

• Smaller adults and juveniles, on the other hand, typically feed near the surface at night and migrate to the muddy seafloor during the day. The large head hairtail is fished commercially,largehead hairtail especially around Asia, using methods like bottom trawling. 

• In the US, they are primarily caught to be sold as bait. However, in many countries, hairtail is considered a delicacy, so it is served in many different ways.

Hairtails usually become reproductively mature at 2 years old. However, increased fishing pressure has been causing some populations to mature earlier, at a small size, in order to compensate for population loss. During spawning, females lay thousands of eggs during spawning that drifts with the current and hatch within a week. Adults can grow over 6.5 ft (2 m) long.

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