Bar Jack - Distribution and Habitat

Distribution and Habitat

The bar jack is widely distributed through the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, and is a common species throughout most of its range. The northernmost limit of its range is New Jersey in the northern United States, with its range extending south along the continental coast to Venezuela. It inhabits a number of offshore islands and archipelagos including Bermuda, as well as the West Indies. The bar jack is most abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies and Caribbean, but in the Gulf of Mexico is limited to offshore waters. There have been reliable reports of the species from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and far offshore at Saint Helena in the south central Atlantic, which would extend the species southern limit significantly if correct.

The bar jack generally live in clear shallow water environments, predominantly around coral reefs to depths of around 60 ft. Tagging studies demonstrate the species is highly mobile, not lingering over one particular reef patch for very long, often moving between reefs over large expanses of sand. Bar jack often venture into lagoons from seaward reefs, preferring to move over the sandy substrate while in these shallow waters, often forming shoals alongside barracuda, stingrays and sharks. Unlike most fish live on both the lagoon and reef, there is no particular age partitioning, with both juveniles and adults entering the lagoon to forage. Records of bar jack taken from Saint Helena came from seamounts in waters deeper than 100 m, indicating they live in more offshore pelagic waters also. Juveniles are often found under floating sargassum mats, using the algae for protection. They also inhabit areas around docks and pilings. Juveniles can be caught using a sabiki rig.