page_title: Bar jack
section_title: Relationship to humans
hierarchical_section_title: Bar jack / Relationship to humans
caption_attribution_description: English: A school of bar jacks in open water - Carangoides ruber. Licensed under a cc-by-2.5 license by the Spanish Government
context_page_description: The bar jack, also known as the carbonero, red jack, blue-striped cavalla or passing jack, is a common species of inshore marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The bar jack is distributed through the western Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey and Bermuda in the north to Venezuela and possibly Brazil in the south, with the largest population in the Gulf of Mexico and West Indies. The bar jack is most simply distinguished from similar jacks by its dark horizontal bar which runs along the back and down the caudal fin, often accompanied by an electric blue stripe immediately below it. Other more detailed differences include dentition and soft ray counts. The bar jack is a moderately large species, growing to a recorded maximum of 65 cm and a weight of 6.8 kg. The species inhabits clear shallow waters, often over coral reefs where it lives either solitarily or in large schools, taking various fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods as prey. Studies in Cuba indicate spawning occurs between March and August, with sexual maturity reached at 26 cm. It is a relatively popular sport fish and can be caught on light tackle with a variety of lures and baits.
context_section_description: The bar jack is of minor to intermediate importance to fisheries through its range; both commercially and to recreational fishermen. Archaeological evidence from San Salvador Island in the Bahamas demonstrates this species has long been targeted by humans for food, with the native Indians of the region often taking the bar jack for consumption, although it was of lesser importance than reef fishes such as parrotfishes and groupers. Modern fisheries take considerable quantities of the fish, but it rarely makes up the bulk of the catch. Catch statistics are not available for most countries. The United States reports only a small catch of between 0 and 15 tonnes per year, but with the abundance of the species in the Caribbean, larger catches are made here. The bar jack is somewhat shy of baited hooks and is therefore taken predominantly by trawls and seines. It is marketed fresh in the Antilles and Bahamas, with its edibility rated fair to very good.
  The bar jack is a popular light tackle game fish, taken predominantly on small lures and flies, with the species considered to be an excellent fighter on light tackle. The species is often sighted working small baitfish to the surface, where they can be targeted with surface poppers or various fly patterns. As mentioned previously, they rarely take baited hooks. The species is often used as bait for larger game fish such as marlin and sailfish. The IGFA All Tackle World Record for the species stands at 7 lb 5oz (3.32 kg) jigged up off Martim Vaz Island, Brazil by Fernando de Almeida in May 2012. The previous world record was caught off of Key West, Florida. Identification of large Bar Jack is complicated by their close resemblance to Yellow Jack which grows to a much larger size, up to 30 lbs.
  The bar jack has a significant risk of carrying the ciguatera toxin in its flesh, and numerous reports of people contracting the poisoning after consuming the fish. A comprehensive study of the toxin in the West Indies listed the bar jack as a species of intermediate risk of carrying the toxin,
  although most cases in St. Thomas of the Virgin Islands can be traced back to the bar jack.
caption: A school of bar jacks in open water
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