Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus patiensis

Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus paitensis, Juvenile. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, November 2012. Length: 4.5 cm (1.8 inches).

Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus paitensis, Juvenile. Fish caught off the Los Conchas Beach, Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2022. Length: 6.5 cm (2.6 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus paitensis, Juvenile. Fish caught off Las Conchas Beach, Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2022. Length: 12 cm (4.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus paitensis. Commercial fish courtesy of Soriana’s Mercado, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, March 2019. Length: 26.5 cm (10.4 inches).

Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus paitensis. Fish caught off the beach at Punta Lobo, Baja California Sur, August 2007. Length: 40 cm (16 inches).

The Paloma Pompano, Trachinotus paitensis, is a member of the Jack or Carangidae Family, and is known in Mexico as pámpano paloma. There are twenty global members of the genus Trachinotus, of which seven are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean.

The Paloma Pompano has an elongated oblong compressed body with a depth that is 36% to 40% of standard length. They are overall silver in color and white ventrally and have greenish and bluish tints on their upper back. Their head has a very rounded extendable snout. Their anal fin has 2 isolated spines followed by 1 spine and 21 to 25 rays; their caudal fin has a deep base and is deeply forked; their first dorsal fin has 6 short isolated spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 24 to 27 rays; and, their pectoral fins are short; and, their pelvic fins are short. They have 8 to 10 gill rakers on the upper arch and 14 to 16 gill rakers on the lower arch. They have long anal and dorsal fin bases with their dorsal fin base being slightly longer than their anal fin base and their dorsal fin being inserted before their anal fin. Their lateral line is straight and lacks finlets or scutes. Their body is covered with oval scales.

The Paloma Pompano are a coastal pelagic species found demersal inshore over sandy bottoms at depths up to 100 m (330 feet). They reach a maximum of 51 cm (20 inches) in length. The Paloma Pompano 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 Paloma Pompano is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Paloma Pompano can be confused with the Blackblotch Pompano, Trachinotus kennedyi (wider body; black blotch at pectoral fin base).

From a conservation perspective the Paloma Pompano is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations.  They are not common but are sold commercially and when available are considered to be excellent table fare.