Wahoo

Scientific Name:
Acanthocybium solandri

Vernacular Names:
Es/Sp: Peto
Fr/Fr: Paere
In/En: Wahoo, Ono (Hawaii), Kingfish, Queenfish
Pt: Cavala-da-índia, Serra-da-índia
Jp: Kamasu-sawara

Local Names:
Hawaii: Ono
Cuba: Peto
Puerto Rico: Uáhu
Brazil: Cavala-da-índia
Mexico: Peto
Polynesia: Paala (Samoan), Keska (Palauan)

Commercial Names: Wahoo, Ono, Peto

Simile of International Trade: Globally traded, prized high-value pelagic species. Often sold fresh and frozen, prominent in the export markets of the USA, Caribbean, and Pacific.

Fishing Season: Available year-round. Peak seasons vary by region; for example, June–November in Florida and summer in the Caribbean and Pacific. Spawning occurs year-round in tropical waters, shifting to summer in higher latitudes.

Geographical Distribution: Circumtropical; present in all tropical and subtropical seas worldwide—including the Atlantic (from North Carolina to Brazil), Eastern and Western Pacific (Alaska to Chile), Indian Ocean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean Sea. Most abundant in warm, tropical and subtropical waters.

Habitat and Biology: Pelagic, strong-swimming species—solitary or in loose groups near surface, reefs, banks, pinnacles, or drifting debris.

Length: Commonly caught at 3.3–5.4 feet (1–1.65 m), but specimens can reach up to 8 feet (2.5 m).