ELOPIDAE FAMILY; some of the numerous common names include tenpounder, machete, chiro, awa, awa’aua, bidbid, springer, ua, agban, lak, Guinee machete, West African ladyfish, Senagalese ladyfish, Hawaiian ladyfish, springer

There are six species of ladyfish inhabiting tropical and subtropical waters all over world. They are inshore species that are commonly found in estuaries, coastal lagoons, hypersaline bays, along shorlines, and even venture far up coastal streams.

All are slender, silvery fish with large terminal mouth, eyes partially covered with adipose eyelids and deeply forked tail. They resemble juvenile tarpon without the last elongated dorsal fin ray. Some ladyfish can reach weights of 15-25 lb (6.8-11.3 kg), but they are most often encountered in the 3-5 lb (1.4-2.3 kg) range.

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