what is the difference between skipjack and bonito?

Answer 1

The two are pretty closely related. The simplest answer is that bonito have stripes on their backs, while skipjack have stripes on their sides and belly. Skipjack tuna (the most common variety) are close enough to yellowfin tuna in flavor that they can be processed together for canning, while bonito have darker meat.

Then there's a fish called the "black skipjack" caught off the coast of Baja California, which looks pretty much like a Pacific bonito with stripes on its back, but with black spots on its belly. It has very dark meat, as dark or darker than the bloodline in other tunas, and isn't generally eaten. I think it's more closely related to the bonito than the skipjack tuna, but it's called a skipjack.

To confuse things even more, the skipjack tuna is sometimes called an "Oceanic Bonito".

As far as fishing, bonito are commonly found close to shore, while skipjack tuna aren't (both are taken well offshore), and skipjack like slightly warmer water.

Answer 2

What area are you talking about skipjack and bonito in?
After reading some of these answers, I never heard of what we call a bonito called a black skipjack and has a very dark bloody meat. And the fish that we call a skipjack around here is actually a lady fish, and not in the tuna family at all with a very white meat but not good to eat at all.

But both make excellent shark bait.

Answer 3

In the Northeast, skipjack have dark red meat like False Albacore (aka Little Tunnies) while bonito has white meat. Both belong to the tuna family and are great fighting fish. Yet skipjack and bonito aren't tablefare like yellowfin, bluefish, and bigeye tuna.

Answer 4

Black Skipjack