Pacific jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 0–400 m.
Scientific name: Trachurus symmetricus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 81 cm
The Pacific jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus), also called the Californian jack mackerel or simply jack mackerel, is an abundant pelagic carangid with an elongated, slightly compressed body, metallic blue to olive-green above and silvery to white below. It is distributed through the northeastern Pacific from Alaska south along the western North American seaboard to the Baja California peninsula and the Gulf of California, and it schools with other pelagic species; young fish often gather around kelp and structure, which is where pier and shore anglers meet them. It is fished both commercially, canned in the same manner as salmon, and for sport, and it is often caught on baited hooks from piers and boats and also incidentally while salmon trolling, making it a dependable light-tackle target along the United States west coast. It grows to a maximum known length of 81 cm, although more commonly below 55 cm.
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