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Almaco Jack | Banded
Rudderfish | Blue Runner | Crevalle
Jack
Florida Pompano | Greater
Amberjack | Lesser Amberjack | Palometa | Permit
Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana)
| Description: a deep-bodied amberjack;
sometimes darker in coloration; front of soft dorsal and of anal fins high
and elongated; body more flattened than banded rudderfish or greater amberjack;
no scutes.
Similar Fish: other Seriola.
Where Found: wide-ranging in OFFSHORE waters, not a common
catch; young are associated with Sargassum. |
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| Size: usually less than 20 pounds. |
Remarks: spawns offshore, apparently during
spring, summer, and fall. |
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Banded Rudderfish (Seriola zonata)
| Description: fish less than 11
inches long have dark band from eye to first dorsal fin and six prominent bars on body;
larger fish are bluish, greenish, or brown; soft dorsal base about twice the length of the
anal fin; tail-lobe white tipped.
Similar fish: other Seriola. |
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| Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE
over hard bottom, generally in shallower water than other amberjacks; young associated
with weed lines or floating debris and may follow shark and other large fish. |
Size: usually less than 10 pounds
Remarks: adults feed on fish and shrimp; spawns OFFSHORE most of year. |
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Blue Runner (Caranx crysos)
| Description: color light olive to
bluish green above, silvery gray to golden below; frequently black spot on operculum;
readily distinguished from crevalle jack by lack of dark blotch pectoral fin; tail tips
blackish.
Similar fish: bluefish, Pomatomus saltarix; other Caranx. |
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| Where found: juveniles found OFFSHORE;
adults NEARSHORE in schools, but sometimes ranging INSHORE as well.
Size: usually
less than 1 pound (11 inches). |
Remarks: matures by 9 to 10 inches;
spawns OFFSHORE from January through August; young form schools associated with floating
objects, and have been observed living inside the bell of jellyfish; adults feed on fish,
shrimp, and squid.
Florida record 7 lbs. |
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Crevalle Jack (Caranx hippos)
| Description: color bluish-green to
greenish-gold back and silvery or yellowish belly; soft dorsal and anal fins almost
identical in size; prominent black spot on operculum (gill cover); black spot at the base
of each pectoral fin; no scales on throat.
Similar fish: other Caranx. |
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| Where found: common in both INSHORE waters
and the open sea.
Size: usually 3 to 5 pounds. |
Remarks: tolerates a wide range of
salinities; schools corner a school of baitfish at the surface and feed with commotion
that can be seen for great distances; feeds mainly on small fish; peak spawning occurs
OFFSHORE from March through September.
Florida record 51 lbs. |
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Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)
| Description: greenish gray on back, shading to
silvery sides; fish in dark waters showing gold on throat, pelvic, and anal fins; deep
flattened body with small mouth; no scutes; 22 to 27 soft dorsal rays; 20 to 23 soft anal
rays; origin of anal fin slightly behind origin of second dorsal.
Similar fish: permit, T. falcatus; palometa, T.
goodei. The permit is deeper bodied; dorsal body profile not strongly angled
at insertion of second dorsal fin; pompano rarely grow larger than 6 pounds, permit common
to 40 pounds. |
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| Where found: INSHORE and NEARSHORE waters,
especially along sandy beaches, along oyster bars, and over grassbeds, often in turbid
water; may be found in water as deep as 130 feet.
Size: usually
less than 3 pounds. |
Remarks: spawns OFFSHORE between March
and September; feeds on mollusks and crustaceans, especially sand fleas; local movements
are influenced by the tide and seasonal movements are influenced by temperature.
Florida
record 8 lbs., 1 oz. |
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Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili)
| Description: dark stripe (variably present) extends
from nose to in front of dorsal fin and "lights up" when fish is in feeding
mode; no scutes; soft dorsal base less than twice the length of the anal fin base.
Similar
fish: other Seriola. |
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| Where found: OFFSHORE species associated with rocky
reefs, debris, and wrecks, typically in 60-240 feet of water; sometimes caught NEARSHORE
in south Florida; juveniles associate with floating objects and may occur in water less
than 30 feet deep.
Size: common to 40 pounds. |
Remarks: largest of the jacks; thought
to spawn OFFSHORE throughout much of the year; feeds on squid, fish and crustaceans.
Florida
record 142 lbs. |
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Lesser Amberjack (Seriola fasciata)
| Description: olive green or brownish back and
silver sides; dark band (variably present) extends backward and upward from eye; juveniles
have split or wavy bars on sides; proportionately larger eye and deeper body than greater
amberjack.
Similar fish: other Seriola. |
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| Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE,
apparently living deeper than other Seriola (commonly 180-410 feet deep).
Size: usually under 10 pounds. |
Remarks: smallest of the amberjacks;
believed to spawn offshore; adults eat fish, and squid. |
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Palometa (Trachinotus goodei)
| Description: grayish-blue-green on top of head and along
the back; bright silvery sides; yellow on breast; elongated dorsal and anal fins, dusky or
black with bluish edges; deep body, with four narrow bars high on the sides, and traces of
a fifth nearer the tail; no scutes. |
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| Similar fish: pompano, T.
carolinus; permit, T. falcatus.
Size:
rarely over 1 pound, reported to 3 pounds. |
Remarks: thought to spawn OFFSHORE in
spring, summer, and fall; has shown rapid growth in mariculture experiments; readily
strikes small artificial lures. |
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Permit (Trachinotus falcatus)
| Description: color gray, dark or iridescent blue
above, shading to silvery sides, in dark waters showing golden tints around breast; small
permit have teeth on tongue (none on pompano); no scutes; dorsal fin insertion directly
above that of the anal fin; 17 to 21 soft dorsal rays; 16 to19 soft anal rays.
Similar
fish: pompano, T. carolinus. The
permit is deeper bodied; dorsal body profile forms angle at insertion of second dorsal
fin; pompano rarely grow larger than 6 pounds, permit common to 40 pounds. |
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| Where found: OFFSHORE on wrecks and debris, INSHORE on
grass flats, sand flats, and in channels; most abundant in south Florida, with smaller
specimens from every coastal county. |
Size: common to 25 pounds.
Remarks: feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling crabs, shrimp, small clams, and small fish. |
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