Belone belone
The garfish (*Belone belone*) is one of the most unusual fish in Romanian waters, standing out for its extremely elongated shape and the fact that its bones have a natural green colour (due to the presence of biliverdin). It is a surface pelagic predator, extremely fast, capable of performing long leaps above the water to surprise its prey or escape from predators.
The body is long and thin like a spear, blue-green on the back and bright silvery on the belly. The most striking feature is the long "beak" formed by both extended jaws, equipped with numerous sharp teeth. The dorsal and anal fins are situated far towards the tail, giving it an ideal aerodynamic shape for lightning-fast accelerations.
It lives in the temperate waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea. Near the Danube Delta, it appears mainly in summer months when the water is warm, approaching the shore in search of anchovy schools. It prefers the upper layers of the water (superficial pelagic zone) and avoids great depths.
It is an active and visual hunter. It feeds mainly on small schooling fish that live at the surface (anchovy, sprat, atherin), which it captures through quick lateral attacks. The garfish is known for its curiosity towards light and for its sinuous movements, similar to those of a snake, when swimming calmly.
Reproduction takes place in coastal waters, during May-July. The eggs are large and provided with numerous long adhesive filaments, which allow them to cling to algae, plant debris or even floating anthropogenic objects. The fry grows very quickly, but initially does not have an elongated beak, which develops as the fish grows.
The species is classified as Least Concern (LC). The garfish is not industrially fished on a large scale in Romania, but represents a spectacular catch for sport fishermen. The green colour of the bones is often a source of fear for uninformed consumers, but the meat is perfectly edible, tasty and rich in nutrients.