Rainbow Runner

RAINBOW RUNNER

HAPPY BULGARIAN SURGEON HOLDING RAINBOW RUNNER HE’LL USE FOR BLACK MARLIN BAIT

• Range: Circumtropical, extending into some subtropical waters. In the Eastern Pacific, its range spans from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands.
• Depth Preference: Primarily pelagic, inhabiting the upper 164 meters of the water column, but can be found both near land over reefs and far offshore, often associating with floating structures or debris.
• Ideal Water Temperatures: Thrives in warm waters, typically found in a narrow belt where temperatures are between 70-89°F (21-31.7°C), with a preferred range of 73-84°F (22.8-28.8°C).
• Migration Distances and Patterns: While precise migration distances are not extensively documented, juveniles are known to migrate from equatorial spawning grounds to coastal areas like Japan, often drifting with currents under Sargassum mats. Adults may travel significant distances but detailed patterns are not fully understood.
• Likely Food Preferences: A carnivorous and fast-swimming predator, its diet includes a variety of small fish (e.g., Decapterus macarellus), cephalopods, and pelagic or planktonic crustaceans like shrimp and crabs.
• World Record Fish (IGFA): Ava Sydney Thompson holds the Female Smallfry record for Rainbow Runner with a 5.4-kilogram (12-pound) fish caught at Tropic Star Lodge in Panama. The IGFA keeps detailed world record information across various line classes and categories.
• Population Status (Eastern Pacific): The Rainbow Runner population is considered to be of “Least Concern” by the IUCN, with stable and widely distributed populations across its range, including the Eastern Pacific.
• Trans-Pacific Migrations: While they have a widespread distribution throughout the Pacific Ocean, direct evidence of trans-Pacific migrations for individual fish is limited in available literature, though genetic connectivity suggests broad movements.
• Commercial Seeking: Rainbow runners are not a primary target for large-scale commercial fisheries but are often caught as bycatch in tuna and shark fisheries using methods like purse seines and hook-and-line techniques. They are kept and sold in markets, valued for their good eating quality. They are also a well-known game fish, particularly for recreational anglers.
• Other Significant Facts: They are known to aggregate in large schools, especially around specific areas and structures like Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). Their striking coloration, featuring bright blue and yellow stripes, makes them easily identifiable. They are also known as rainbow yellowtail, Spanish jack, and Hawaiian salmon in various regions.