Description:
A member of the Jack family, the Florida pompano is a fast-swimming, deep-bodied and compressed predator that grows 17 - 25 inches in length and may weigh 8 pounds or more.  Body color is typically silver, with the dorsal surface being a dark shade of blue, blue-green, or blue-black.  Fins are dusky to yellow in color.  Juveniles tend to be more yellow in color ventrally, and around the anal and caudal fins than are adults.  The snout is blunt, with the mouth set inferiorly.  Both the pelvic and the pectoral fins are short.  The first dorsal fin consists of 6 short spines.  The second dorsal fin is notched, with the anterior rays longer and falcate in shape, and the posterior rays shorter and extending to the caudal peduncle.  The anal fin mirrors the dorsal fin, but tends to be more yellow and has 3 spines, the anterior 2 of which are detached.  The caudal peduncle is narrow and lacks scutes that are often observed in other jacks.  The caudal fin is deeply forked.

Habitat:
Florida pompano commonly occur in bays, estuaries, nearshore coastal waters, and open seas to depths of approximately 200 feet. Juveniles are frequently observed close to shore over sandy beaches with high wave energy.  Pompano are not common in coral reef habitats.

Range:
Florida pompano range from the coast of Massachusetts south to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies.  They are generally absent from the Bahamas.  They are a migratory species, tending to move north throughout the summer months, and south in the winter months.