Pompano
(Trachinotus carolinus)
Quick Facts

Pompano , common name for fishes of the genus Trachinotus, and for Palometus
simillimus, members of a large and important family of mackerellike fishes, abundant in warm
seas around the world. They have deeply forked tails set on thin stalks and swim swiftly, often
with the dorsal fin above the water surface. Most of the 200 species are valuable food fishes.

Types of Pompanos
Of the 30 genera that constitute the family, the 6 most important are the leather jacks, the
amberfishes, the cavallas or jacks, the moonfishes, the casabes, and the pompanos.
Best known of the leather jacks is the pilot fish, a slender variety rarely over 2 ft (60 cm) long.
Pilot fish, Naucrates ductor, often follow ships and sharks, feeding on the scraps left behind.
Another species also called pilot fish is an amberfish. The amberfish genus, Seriola, (whose
members are also called amberjacks and coronados) contains often beautifully colored fish
that are of moderate to large size. The genus includes the streamlined California yellowtail, a
popular game and food fish, weighing up to 40 lb (18 kg). Amberjacks are common off the
Florida coast. They are grayish purple on the back and golden on the sides, and average 12 lb
(5.4 kg) in weight, though specimens may reach 100 lb (45 kg). They prefer deeper water and
feed on smaller fishes, as does the rainbow runner, strikingly colored in blue, yellow, and
silver. Others of this group are the mackerel scad and the saurel, 2 ft (60 cm) food fish of
commercial importance in San Francisco.

Most abundant and valuable of the cavallas (genus Caranx ) is the crevalle, or common
jack, C. hippos, found in dense schools on both coasts of tropical America and as far north as
Cape Cod and the Gulf of California. Crevalles have olive backs, silvery and yellow sides, and
reach 2 ft (61 cm) in length and 40 lb (18 kg) in weight. The kingfish, or king cero, is an
important food and game cavalla of tropical Atlantic waters. The blue runner, or hard-tailed
jack, 1 ft (30 cm) long and 1 lb (.45 kg) in weight and found from Brazil to Cape Cod, is an
important food fish in the West Indies. The horse-eye jack is found in both the Atlantic and the
Pacific. It is most abundant in the tropics, where its flesh is reputed to be poisonous. The
Cuban jack, or African pompano, averaging 2 ft (61 cm) in length and 12 lb (5.4 kg) in weight,
is a beautiful fish with an iridescent silvery sheen, similar in coloration and in its compressed,
angular body to the moonfishes, silvery marine fishes of the genus Vomer.

Two moonfishes are the lookdown and the silvery moonfish. Both average from 7 to 9 in.
(17.5-22.5 cm) in length and 1/2 lb (.25 kg) in weight and are important food fishes. They
frequent sandy bottoms, feeding on small fish, crustaceans, and marine worms. The lookdown
differs from the moonfish in its elongated dorsal and anal fins and in its rainbow iridescence.
The casabe,or bumper, a smaller fish (up to 1 ft/30 cm) found from Brazil to Cape Cod, is of
little value as food.

Commercially the most important of the family are the pompanos, species of which are among
the most delicious of all food fishes. Prized as a food and game fish, the common pompano,
found from the Carolinas to Texas, reaches a maximum length of 18 in. (45 cm) and weight of
8 lb (3.6 kg). It prefers sandy bottoms and feeds on small crustaceans, especially shrimps and
sand fleas. A warm-water fish, it migrates to avoid cold, and an unseasonal cold spell will kill
it. Of similar habits and distribution are the round pompano, named for its shape, and the
gaff-topsail pompano, or palometa, a beautiful fish with a cerulean blue back and silvery
yellow sides. Its counterpart in Pacific waters is the pompanito. The permit, or great pompano,
of the Florida reefs is the largest of the family, weighing up to 30 lb (13.5 kg) and reaching a
length of 3 ft (91 cm).
Pompano
(Trachinotus carolinus)
6oz (170.1 Grams) Serving Nutrition Summary
Proteins, Amino Acids, Fats & Fatty Acids and Sterols
Total Calories=279.0
Fat
& Fatty Acids
Protein
Amino Acids
85 mg
Sterols
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Grams
Total Saturated Fat
Total Monounsaturated Fat
Total Polyunsaturated Fat
Total Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Glutamic acid
Aspartic acid
Lysine
Leucine
Alanine
Arginine
Valine
Glycine
Isoleucine
Threonine
Serine
Phenylalanine
Proline
Tyrosine
Methionine
Histidine
Tryptophan
Cystine
Cholesterol
6oz (170.1 Grams) Serving Nutrition Summary
Percent Daily Value Based on 2000 Calorie Daily Intake
Vitamins
6.37%
Folate
25.51%
Niacin
12.75%
Pantothenic acid
12.00%
Riboflavin
63.50%
Thiamin
3.74%
Vitamin A
36.85%
Vitamin B-12
17.01%
Vitamin B-6
1.02%
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
0.21%
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
% Daily Value
6oz (170.1 Grams) Serving Nutrition Summary
Percent Daily Value Based on 2000 Calorie Daily Intake
Minerals
3.74%
Calcium
3.23%
Copper
5.67%
Iron
11.48%
Magnesium
1.10%
Manganese
33.16%
Phosphorus
16.20%
Potassium
88.69%
Selenium
4.80%
Sodium
8.16%
Zinc
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
% Daily Value
Nutrition Data Source:
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21, September 2008
Percent Daily Value Source:
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Agriculture www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines
70
80
90
100
40
Pompano
(Trachinotus carolinus)
Pompano , common name for fishes of the genus Trachinotus, and forPalometus simillimus, members of a large and
important family of mackerellike fishes, abundant in warm seas around the world. They have deeply forked tails set on
thin stalks and swim swiftly, often with the dorsal fin above the water surface. Most of the 200 species are valuable food
fishes.
Types of Pompanos
Of the 30 genera that constitute the family, the 6 most important are the leather jacks, the amberfishes, the cavallas or
jacks, the moonfishes, the casabes, and the pompanos.
Best known of the leather jacks is the pilot fish, a slender variety rarely over 2 ft (60 cm) long. Pilot fish, Naucrates
ductor, often follow ships and sharks, feeding on the scraps left behind. Another species also called pilot fish is
anamberfish. The amberfish genus, Seriola, (whose members are also called amberjacks and coronados) contains often
beautifully colored fish that are of moderate to large size. The genus includes the streamlined California yellowtail, a
popular game and food fish, weighing up to 40 lb (18 kg). Amberjacks are common off the Florida coast. They are grayish
purple on the back and golden on the sides, and average 12 lb (5.4 kg) in weight, though specimens may reach 100 lb
(45 kg). They prefer deeper water and feed on smaller fishes, as does the rainbow runner, strikingly colored in blue,
yellow, and silver. Others of this group are the mackerel scad and the saurel, 2 ft (60 cm) food fish of commercial
importance in San Francisco.
Most abundant and valuable of the cavallas (genus Caranx ) is the crevalle, or common jack, C. hippos, found in dense
schools on both coasts of tropical America and as far north as Cape Cod and the Gulf of California. Crevalles have olive
backs, silvery and yellow sides, and reach 2 ft (61 cm) in length and 40 lb (18 kg) in weight. The kingfish, or king cero, is
an important food and game cavalla of tropical Atlantic waters. The blue runner, or hard-tailed jack, 1 ft (30 cm) long and
1 lb (.45 kg) in weight and found from Brazil to Cape Cod, is an important food fish in the West Indies. The horse-eye
jack is found in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. It is most abundant in the tropics, where its flesh is reputed to be
poisonous. The Cuban jack, or African pompano, averaging 2 ft (61 cm) in length and 12 lb (5.4 kg) in weight, is a
beautiful fish with an iridescent silvery sheen, similar in coloration and in its compressed, angular body to the moonfishes,
silvery marine fishes of the genus Vomer.
Two moonfishes are the lookdown and the silvery moonfish. Both average from 7 to 9 in. (17.5-22.5 cm) in length and
1/2 lb (.25 kg) in weight and are important food fishes. They frequent sandy bottoms, feeding on small fish, crustaceans,
and marine worms. The lookdown differs from the moonfish in its elongated dorsal and anal fins and in its rainbow
iridescence. The casabe,or bumper, a smaller fish (up to 1 ft/30 cm) found from Brazil to Cape Cod, is of little value as
food.
Commercially the most important of the family are the pompanos, species of which are among the most delicious of all
food fishes. Prized as a food and game fish, the common pompano, found from the Carolinas to Texas, reaches a
maximum length of 18 in. (45 cm) and weight of 8 lb (3.6 kg). It prefers sandy bottoms and feeds on small crustaceans,
especially shrimps and sand fleas. A warm-water fish, it migrates to avoid cold, and an unseasonal cold spell will kill it. Of
similar habits and distribution are the round pompano, named for its shape, and the gaff-topsail pompano, or palometa, a
beautiful fish with a cerulean blue back and silvery yellow sides. Its counterpart in Pacific waters is the pompanito. The
permit, or great pompano, of the Florida reefs is the largest of the family, weighing up to 30 lb (13.5 kg) and reaching a
length of 3 ft (91 cm).
Classification
Pompanos are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family
Carangidae.
Source:
"pompano." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008.Encyclopedia.com. 5 Mar. 2009
http://www.encyclopedia.com.