Longjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites altus

Longjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites altus, juvenile. Fish caught with a cast net off a pier in Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length: 13.2 cm (5.6 inches).

Longjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites altus. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, October 2009. Length: 36 cm (14 inches).

Longjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites altus. Commercial fish courtesy of the Central Mercado Fish Market, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, March 2015. Length: 32 cm (13 inches).

Longjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites altus. Fish caught out from coastal waters off  the Neuvo Mazatlán Marina, Sinaloa, April 2015. Length: 32 cm (13 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

The Longjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites altus, is a member of the Jack or Carangidae Family, and is known in Mexico as piña bocona. There are six global members of the genus Oligoplites, of which three are found in Mexican waters, two in the Pacific and one in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

The Longjaw Leatherjack has an elongated very compressed body that has a depth that is 28% to 32% of standard length. They are uniformly silvery-green with a yellowish belly and yellow caudal and pectoral fins. Their head has a pointed snout and their mouth ends at the rear margin of the eyes. The anal fin has 2 standalone spines followed by 1 spine and 19 to 20 rays; the caudal fin has a slender base and is deeply forked; the first dorsal fin has 4 or 5 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 20 to 21 rays; and, their pectoral fins are short. Their anal and dorsal fin bases are of equal length and both end with 11 to 15 semi-detached finlets. They have 2 to 5 and 8 to 13 gill rakers. Their lateral line is slightly arched above the pectoral fins but is generally straight. Their body is covered with small needle-shaped scales and has no scutes.

The Longjaw Leatherjack is a pelagic schooling species found inshore and in estuaries over sandy bottoms at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They reach a maximum length of 56 cm (22 inches). As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.58 kg (3 lbs 8 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Costa Rica in February 1990. The Longjaw Leatherjack  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 Longjaw Leatherjack is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific with the exception that they are absent from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja. They are very common in the upper Sea of Cortez.

The Longjaw Leatherjack can be easily confused with the Shortjaw Leatherjack, Oligoplites refulgens (more aerodynamic; jaw only extends to pupils) and the Leatherjack, Oligoplites saurus (long jaw; clear anal and dorsal fins; yellow caudal fin).

From a conservation perspective the Longjaw Leatherjack is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are targeted by both commercial and recreational fishermen. They are caught with nets by commercial fishermen and sold fresh or dried salted but considered to be a marginal food fish. For recreational anglers that are an excellent foe on light tackle and providing a strong fight with jumping. Their dorsal and anal spines are reported to be venomous, and should be avoided.