Rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–150 m. The main season in the United States runs spring, summer.
Scientific name: Elagatis bipinnulata · Water: Saltwater · Season: Spring, Summer
Size: up to 180 cm
The rainbow runner is a carangid of oceanic and coastal waters, generally near the surface over reefs and sometimes far from the coast around floating logs or other debris, recorded from the surface down to 150 m. It is found in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Rio de Janeiro, in the eastern Atlantic off Genoa in the Mediterranean and from Côte d'Ivoire to Angola, and throughout the Indo-Pacific though rare or absent in the Persian Gulf. It may form large schools and feeds on invertebrates, mainly the larger crustaceans of the zooplankton, and on small fishes; the eggs are pelagic. Maximum length is about 180 cm total length, commonly about 90 cm, and it can live six years, maturing at about 65 cm. It is a highly commercial species and a valued gamefish, a good food fish marketed fresh, salted, dried or frozen and used for sashimi. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 51 of 100 and resilience medium, the price category is medium, and climate vulnerability is high to very high at 74 of 100. IUCN lists it as least concern. It is in season in summer.
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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