Black jack (Caranx lugubris) is a saltwater species recorded in Taiwan, United States. It is found at depths of 12–354 m.
Scientific name: Caranx lugubris · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 100 cm
The black jack is a carangid and an oceanic and insular species, very much restricted to clear oceanic water and not commonly found over shallow banks, though it is sometimes seen near the drop-off at the outer edge of reefs. It occasionally forms schools, adults feed on fishes at night, and its eggs are pelagic. It is marketed mainly fresh and also dried or salted. Its range is circumtropical: in the western Indian Ocean off Natal and East London in South Africa and at Reunion, Mauritius, Cargados Carajos and the Seychelles; in the western Pacific from southern Japan to New Caledonia, with a recent record from Tonga; in the western Atlantic from Bermuda and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil; and in the eastern Atlantic at the Azores, Madeira, St. Paul's Rocks and Ascension. It lives from 12 to 354 m, usually between 24 and 65 m, and reaches about 100 cm total length, commonly 70 cm, and up to about 17.9 kg, living about twelve years. It is a minor commercial species with commercial aquaculture and is also a game fish, in the high price band, with a trophic level of 4.5, high fishing vulnerability at 60 of 100, and low resilience.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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