This is the largest scad there is, and the name works against it. A scad is a small fish in most people's heads; this one reaches 61 cm (24 in), which is bigger than several of the trevallies on the same page, and it still feeds mainly on plankton - shrimps, copepods and decapods, with small fish taken alongside.
It is also in the wrong place for a jack. Instead of patrolling the drop-off it holds in dense schools over clear inner reef, high above the bottom and often right at the surface, in water ten meters deep or less. A school of them overhead reads as silver in the light rather than as individual fish.
What separates it from the other scad here is the tail. The shrimp scad carries a yellow one; this one is dusky, against a silvery blue body.
That is worth having, because the two are otherwise the same fish at a glance and the books do not help much: both are silver, both are compressed, both school, and the size difference only shows once the fish is fully grown. Tail first, then everything else.
Herring Scadare of minor commercial importance and are mainly taken by hook and line. It is marketed fresh or dry salted. Due to the nature by which this species is harvested and its broad geographic range, fishing is not considered a major threat at present.
Due to the coastal nature of this species it may be impacted in areas where there is extensive coastal development or pollution, however this is a localised threat for this wide ranging species. It may also be taken as by-catch by other fisheries operating in areas of its range, however there are no reports of it being taken in significant quantity.
Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.
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