page_title: Pacific crevalle jack
section_title: Relationship to humans
hierarchical_section_title: Pacific crevalle jack / Relationship to humans
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Poisson capturé lors d'un voyage au Costa-Rica en 2014 (Samara, Guanacaste)
context_page_description: The Pacific crevalle jack is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack family Carangidae. The species is distributed through the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from California in the north to Peru in the south, including several offshore islands. The species is best identified by its deep body and mostly unscaled breast, as well as other more detailed anatomical features. The species is known to grow to a maximum length of 101 cm and a weight of 19.7 kg. Disagreement on the status of the species has been significant in the scientific literature, with many claiming it to be conspecific with or subspecific to the Atlantic Caranx hippos. The most recent review of the crevalle jacks strongly concluded it to be a separate species based on the development of hyperostosis and fin colouring. It is predominantly a schooling inshore species, inhabiting sandy and rocky substrates, although larger individuals are occasionally found living pelagically to depths of 350 m. The Pacific crevalle jack is a fast-swimming predator, taking a variety of fish, crustaceans, and other small invertebrates.
context_section_description: The Pacific crevalle jack is of high importance to fisheries throughout its range, with the abundance of the species allowing for large catches by commercial fishermen. Due to the artisanal nature of many Central American fisheries, detailed catch statistics of the species are not kept, making it impossible to estimate total annual catches. Where these statistics are kept, however, it is apparent that it is one of the most important species in its range, with the species accounting for up to 15% of the total annual catch in Colima, Mexico. This translates as around 76 tonnes on average, just for the state of Colima.  The species is taken year round by a variety of methods including trawling, fence and fixed nets, as well as hook and line methods. It is sold at market either fresh, frozen, smoked, salted or dried, and is also utilized as a source of fishmeal and oil. Despite the large numbers taken, the Pacific crevalle jack is considered a second or third class commercial product, fetching fairly low prices at market. The value of the fish does change throughout its range based on local opinion of the fish.
  The Pacific crevalle jack is also a major target for anglers throughout its range, and can be taken by live bait as well as various lure types including surface poppers and fast retrieved metal slugs and spoons.
  It is generally viewed as marginal table fair, although bleeding the fish immediately after capture is said to improve the flavor. The IGFA maintains full line class and tipped world records for the Pacific crevalle jack, the current all tackle world record sits at 17.69kg (39lb 0oz) caught off Playa Zancudo, Costa Rica in 1997.
caption: A Pacific crevalle jack caught by the French angler David Mailland with a lure in Samara area, Guanacaste, Costa-Rica
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