Yellow jack (Caranx bartholomaei) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–50 m.
Scientific name: Caranx bartholomaei · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 100 cm
The yellow jack is a carangid of offshore reefs and open marine water, recorded from the surface down to 50 m. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts and Bermuda through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to São Paulo in Brazil, with St. Paul's Rocks in the eastern Atlantic. Adults generally occur alone or in small groups and feed on small fishes, and they spawn offshore; juveniles are often found inshore on seagrass beds, or drifting with jellyfish and Sargassum. Maximum length is about 100 cm total length, commonly about 50 cm, and it matures at about 45 cm, with a length range of 32 cm upwards. It is a commercial species and a gamefish with flesh of fair to good flavor. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 51 of 100 and resilience high, and the price category is medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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.
Back to home · United States · Species library