Blue Runner: Caranx crysos

Appearance:

• Color is light olive to bluish green above and silvery gray to golden below
• Frequently there is a black spot on operculum
• Readily distinguished from crevalle jack by lack of black blotch on pectoral fin
• Tail tips blackish
  

Habitat:

Juvenile blue runners are found offshore while adults are found nearshore in schools, but sometimes range inshore as well.

Behavior:

Blue runners spawn 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.

State Record:

8 lb 5 oz, caught near Pensacola

Fishing Tips and Facts:

Similar Fish: bluefish, Pomatomus saltarix, other Caranx.

Additional Information:

Image Credit: Diane Rome Peebles