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Illustration of Blackfin jack
fishing forecast

blackfin jack

Hemicaranx zelotes · full profile

location

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period

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the species

everything about the blackfin jack

how to recognize it

Jack with a subovate, compressed body, blue-silver back and white or silvery belly. The pectoral fins are dark, sickle-shaped and relatively short, and a row of small comb-like teeth runs along both jaws. Paraselene orstedii, from the same coast, has a much deeper, more compressed body, with blue-green reflections.

Also called: xaréu-de-nadadeira-preta, cocinero, blackfin jack

don't confuse with:

We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.

Where to look: Coastal and brackish waters, between the surface and the bottom.

Found in the eastern Pacific, from Baja California to Peru, through Central America, in coastal and brackish waters.

rules for the blackfin jack

Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

estimated weight

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how we calculate

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01096, b = 2.94; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

more about the blackfin jack

A fish of the family Carangidae, with a subovate, compressed body and small comb-like teeth in both jaws. It lives in coastal waters and enters brackish waters, from Baja California to Peru. It reaches 35 cm total length, and its common size is 20 cm, measured to the fork of the tail. It has small commercial fishing, and is sold fresh, salted or dried. As a sport-fishing species, it turns up on the line now and then, mostly near the coast.

Family: Carangidae · predator

in the kitchen

It is sold fresh, salted or dried, and has small commercial use.

similar species

sources and references (2)

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Hemicaranx zelotes (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hemicaranx zelotesNames by country and language.