~ Crevallejack are an ~ Mostfishermen recognize the crevallejack kri val e! as an extremely excellentfighting hard-fightingfish that is often easy to catch, Pound for pound the crevalle medium-sized fish. jack'sferocity might be comparedto prizedgarnefish such as the tar- ponor wahoo.With positive characteristics like these, you would think ~ Itsdark red meat, high the jack wouldbe soughtby all recreationalfishermen. in polyunsaturatedfatty But surprisingly,most recreationalfishermen havenever eaten a crevalle acids,may reduce the jack.Yet they consistently describe jacks as inedible. Like its cousinthe incidenceof coronary amberjack,the crevalle jack suffers from an undeserved reputation. It's heart disease. beendescribed by recreationalfishermen as an ugly fish, with meatthat is dark,bloody and strong tasting. According to fishermen,this results ~ In order to obtain max- in a meatthat spoilseasily. imumproduct quality, crevallejack should Thefact is thatcrevalle jack can be prepared in a numberof waysso that the meat's taste enhancesrather than detracts from a meal. It is be bled and iced true that the jackcan have a strongflavor but onlywhen the fish has ately. not beenproperly bled and iced immediately after being caught. If the jackis preparedsoon after its capture, it is delicioussmoked, pickled, rozen,crevalle marinated,or as the mainingredient in a fishchowder, For those who a relatively prefera strongerflavored fish such as bluefishor kingmackerel, the orage span jackcan yield nice white meat after broiling, frying and barbecuing. The hs!. crevallejack is nothingmore than a heavyweightfighting fish looking for a little recognition. TheAmerican Heart Association recommends two meals of fish per week for preventivemeasures against heart disease.Two recentstudies reportedin the New England Journal of Medicineshow that the polyun- saturatedfatty acidsof fish havemetabolic effects that differsubstan- tiallyfrom other polyunsaturated fatty acids and may reduce the incidence of coronaryheart disease. Oily fish such as crevalle jack have higher evelsof polyunsaturatedfatty acidsthan leanerwhite meatfish such s flounderand grouper. the species to use a variablespeed retrieveby varying the speed at which you reel or by whipping the tip of your rod. ~ The crevallejack, Caranxhippos, or common jack, is a member of the carangidaefamily and is closelyrelated to the blue runnerand porn- Some fishermen prefer the extra sport of catching crevallejack by fly pano.Although some individuals reach a sizeof 40pounds and 40 inches, rod. Flyfishing is moredifficult because it is harderto obtainthe fast crevallejacks are mostcommon in the 2- to 7-poundrange. Found in retrieve.It is usually convenientto bring two rods, bringing out your fly tropical and temperatewaters throughout the world, the jack has a high rod when crevallejacks are spotted. Castinga fly into a schoolincreases tolerance for different salinity levels, and is often found in inshore or yourchances of their acceptance.Usually streamer flies with a 2/0or brackish waters. It is most common in shallow flats. Crevallejacks are 3/0 hook are used. fast, voraciouspredators, traveling and feeding in schools.The larger theybecome the lesstheyschool, with very large fish usuallyoccurring Becausethey are easily caught in inshore areasand they fight extreme- individuallyor in pairs.Their presencecan often be recognizedin shallow ly well, crevallejack arean excellentfish to introducenew anglers to inland watersby the slashthey makeon the water surface as they chase saltwater fishing. Touristsand children are usually very excited when bait fish. As an avoidancetechnique, mullet and other baitfish jump they hook into this powerfulfish. Inshoretournaments for crevallejack franticallynear these slashes. Crevalle jack is frequentlysold in Central would be a good way to introduce people to saltwater angling. and South American markets. In the United States, the commercial fisherypresently is limitedto Floridawhere haul seines and gill netsare the principal fishing gear used. preserving dressing avd pr eparing
how to catch them ~ Crevallejack are oily fish ideal for baking,broiling, smoking or chowders. Themeat is dark,but quite good if it is bledimmediately after catching. ~ Poundfor pound,crevalle jack areone of the bestfighters in SouthAtlantic This is accomplishedby cuttingoff the tail or head. waters.They are notedas tireless,strong fighters which cantake up to an hour to land using small tackle, They are voracious scavengers Whenfilleting it is importantto removethe dark meatwhich runs horizon- and often follow commercial fishing boats. Crevallejack feed mainly on tally in the middleof the fish the ventralline! from the operculum gill small fish, but sometimesconsume shrimp and other small vertebrates. cover!to thetail. The dark meat has a strongerflavor than the surround- ing lightermeat, The filleting procedure is similarto cleaningbluefish Althoughthey will takecut bait whilestill-fishing, the most common or other dark-meat species. See figures! methodof catchingthe fish is bytrolling or casting.Most types of plugs, spoons or spinners will work. It is very important to retrieveyour plug Smalljacks in the 2- to 3-poundrange are generally favored for cook- rapidly.A slowretrieve is invariablynot as effective, especially when the ing.Although larger fish canbe cooked by nearlyany method, they are schools are actively feeding. Possibly becauseof their tough mouths, generallypreferred in chowdersor smoked.Large fish sometimes develop slowretrieving also tends to missmore fish. Aneffective retrieve begins bony growths on the fins, particularlythe dorsal. Some fishermen think slowly and becomes increasingly fast. Another successful method is this growth meartsthe fish is diseasedor has parasites,but this is not true. Thegrowth is a normalfunction of the agingprocess and is not an indicationof poor quality. some recipes ~ Crevalle Jack Lasagne
2 cups cooked, flaked crevalle 1 clovegarlic, finely chopped jack or other cooked, 1 package 8 oz.! lasagne flaked fish macaroni 1 can lb., 13 oz.! tomatoes 3/4pound ricotta or creamed 1 can 8 oz.! tomatosauce cottage cheese 1 package '/4 oz.! spaghetti '/z pound mozzarella cheese, sauce mix sliced thin 1teaspoon oregano '/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1teaspoon sugar Combinetomatoes, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce mix, oregano, sugar andgarlic. Simmer, uncovered for 30minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fishflakes. Cook lasagne according to directionson package.Place half the lasagnein a well-greased12x8x2" bakingdish. Coverwith one-third of the fish sauce.Add one-halfof the ricotta cheese;cover with one-half the mozzarellacheese. Repeat layers, ending with fish sauce.Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a moderate oven at 350'F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Serves 6. 1. Bleedby removinghead or tail immediatelyafter catching. 2. Cut behindgill to makea standardfillet. ~ Everybody'sFavorite Crevalle Jack Soup 3. Skin the fillet. 4. With skinnedportion facing up, removedark ventral line by 1 pound crevalle jack fillets, or 1 box 0 oz.! frozen mixed making 45'-angle cuts from the surface inward and discard. other fish fillets, fresh or frozen vegetables, thawed 1 cup chopped onion 2 cups chicken broth Theventral line is best removedafter poachingor broiling, 1 cupchopped celery '/4 cup choppedparsley and before frying or using in chowders. 1 cupchopped green pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, minced '/s teaspoonsugar 2 tablespoonsmargarine or butter '/4 teaspoon basil 1 can 8 oz.! tomatoes, undrained Thawfish if frozen.Skin fillets. Cut fillets into 1-inch cubes. In a 5-quart soup pot, cook onion, celery,green pepperand garlic in oil over medium heatuntil tender, but not brown. Add tomatoes, vegetables, chicken broth, parsley,salt, sugarand basil;heat to boiling.Reduce heat; cover and simmerfor 10 minutes,or until fish flakeseasily when tested with a fork. Stir occasionally. Serves 6.
~ Thisbrochure reflects an ongoingresearch and communication effort by universityscientists, marine advisory personnel, state and federal governmentagencies and sport fishermento developnew, exciting dimensionsto recreationalfishing, and to makethe mostof the ocean's bounty.The information presented here is founded on the premisethat the basesfor decision-makingand resource development must originate withinthe sportfishingcommunity, since sport fishermen are the true expertsonthe recreational Qigq8ltertndfsett
~ Forfurther information on otherunderutilized fish caught by recreational fishermencontact the UNCSea Grant College Program, Box 8605, North CarolinaState University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8605 NATIONALSEAGRANT OEPNIA!K Writtenby JeffreyJohnson, James Murray and David Griffith.
UNC-SG-85-14 FEB.2 0 '!98$