How to identify a Pacific Crevalle Jack

This eastern Pacific species is identical in most respects to the crevalle jack (Caranx hippos) of the western Atlantic, including the characteristic black spot or blotch on the operculum (gill cover) and on the pectoral fins. The Pacific species is distinguished externally only by the presence of a larger maximum number of scutes (up to 42, as opposed to 25-35 in C. hippos). This and other differences documented by scientists have led to classification of the Pacific crevalle jack in recent years as a separate and valid species.

Where to catch Pacific Crevalle Jack

The crevalle jack inhabits the tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean, ranging extensively along both the eastern American coastline and the western African and European coastlines.[5] In the western Atlantic, the southernmost record comes from Uruguay, with the species ranging north along the Central American coastline, and throughout the Caribbean and many of the numerous archipelagos within. The species is found throughout the Greater Antilles, however it is absent from the leeward Lesser Antilles, with its distribution being patchy throughout other Caribbean archipelagos.[10] From the Gulf of Mexico, its distribution extends north along the U.S. coast and as far north as Nova Scotia in Canada, also taking in several northwest Atlantic islands. The crevalle jack is also known from Saint Helena Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.