Pacific Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta

Pacific Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 22 cm (8.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Pacific Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta. Fish provided by commercial bait salesmen, Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, June 2007. Length: 23 cm (9.1 inches).

Pacific Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta. Fish caught within the coastal water of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, July 2016. Length: 20.0 cm (7.9 inches).

Pacific Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta. Fish provided by commercial bait salesmen, Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, June 2007. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).

The Pacific Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta, is a member of the Jack or Carangidae Family, and is known in Mexico as horqueta del Pacifico. Globally, there are two species in the genus Chloroscombrus, both of which are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and one, this species, in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Bumper has a strongly compressed oval body with a depth that is 34% to 38% of standard length. Their appearance is more “pompano-like” than “jack-like”. Their lower body profile is strongly convex, more so that their upper profile. Their head and body are dark metallic blue dorsally and their sides are silvery. Their anal, caudal, and pectoral fins are yellow. They have a black spot on the upper border of their gill cover and a black saddle marking on the upper part of their caudal fin base. Their anal fin has 2 standalone spines followed by 1 spine and 25 to 28 rays; their caudal fin has a slender base and is deeply forked; their first dorsal fin has 8 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 25 to 28 rays; and, their pectoral fins are curved and longer than the head. Their anal and second dorsal fin bases are long. They have 8 to 12 gill rakes on the upper arch and 22 to 26 gill rakers on the lower arch.  They have a pronounced lateral line with a short anterior arch that has 6 to 12 weak scutes. Their body is covered with small scales.

The Pacific Bumper is a a pelagic schooling species found in shallow coastal areas and estuaries at depths up to 53 m (175 feet). They reach a maximum of 31 cm (12 inches) in length. The Pacific Bumper is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Pacific Bumperfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Bumper can be confused with the Bigeye Scad, Selar crumenophthalmus (large eyes; elongated body).

From a conservation perspective the Pacific Bumper is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed population. They are considered to be an insignificant catch and due to their size and rarity, they are of limited value to most.