Blue runner (Caranx crysos) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–100 m.
Scientific name: Caranx crysos · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 70 cm
The blue runner is a schooling carangid that generally stays not far from the coast, in coastal marine and brackish waters down to at least 100 m and also in mangrove areas. It is found on both sides of the Atlantic: from Senegal to Angola, including the western Mediterranean, St. Paul's Rocks and Ascension Island in the east, and from Nova Scotia to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, in the west. Adults feed on fishes, shrimps and other invertebrates, and the eggs are pelagic; juveniles are often found with floating Sargassum, entering lagoons and estuaries. Maximum length is about 70 cm total length, commonly about 40 cm, and it can live 11 years, maturing at about 27 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, an excellent food fish marketed fresh, frozen and salted and often used for bait. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 34 of 100 and resilience medium, the price category is low, and climate vulnerability is moderate to high at 53 of 100. IUCN lists it as least concern, and it spawns offshore.
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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