The shark mackerel has dark spots on the belly, a distinguishing double lateral line which divides at the pectoral fin and joins again at the tail base and the scales peel in large sheets. The flesh has a strong smell of ammonia, hence 'shark' mackerel.

Average eating.

Belongs to the Morwong family, is often shades of blue, has distinctive yellow lines on the face and around the eyes and a blackish blotch in the middle of the side.  The tail fin is deeply forked and has an extended ray on the pectoral fin.

Good eating.

Second largest of the wrasse species, these are identified by their size, their brilliant cobalt blue colour, fleshy lips, heavy scales and peg like teeth.  They are very curious.

Small to medium groper are good eating but the large ones are dry and coarse.

Grey and black in colour with irregular white blotches over entire body.

Very good eating.

The Giant Toadfish is the largest of the toadfish, has a silver stripe down its side and a large concave tail fin.  It is best known for its strong fused beak-like teeth which are capable of biting through hooks.   

Highly poisonous and should never be eaten.

The Indo Pacific Sailfish is recognised by the prominent sail-like dorsal fin which fits into a groove when lowered.  The shorter median dorsal rays are longer than the body is deep and the ventral rays rays are very long and extend almost to the anus.  The upper jaw spear is slender and more than twice the length of the lower jaw.  The body and sail are spotted with dark and light blue and purple. 

Catch and release.

Red Snapper which has 6 dorsal fin spines should not be confused with the smaller Nannygai which has 7 dorsal fin spines.  The red snapper has a distinctive white line along the lateral line and white margins on the fins.  The eye is generally red.

It is excellent eating.

This brilliant deep blue fish with iridescent blue spots  is one of the most spectacular residents of deeper
crevices under larger rocky reefs and drop-offs.  It is found in depths from 10 -45 metres and generally grows up to 36cms and the heaviest recorded specimen is 1.134kgs.

Catch and release.

Vivid red or red-orange colour flecked with light coloured spots, the distinctive tail is a lunar crescent shape with a yellow trailing edge.  The cheeks and all other fins are tinged with yellow on the trailing edge, especially the pectoral fins. 

Excellent eating.

The Harlequin base colour can be red, orange, yellow or brown with darkish blotches on the head and upper sides, blue spots on the back and sides and yellow blotches on the underside.  There is a large red blotch on the side that is covered by the pectoral fin.  The tail is slightly convex, the eyes protrude and they have formidable teeth.  

They are excellent eating.

Often confused with the bar-cheek, the leopardus coral trout has round spots on the head and body.  The colours can be brilliant red, orange, deep red or brown.  The soft dorsal fin is rounded and the tail square cut with a blue edge.  It has a large mouth and sharp widely spaced canine teeth.

Excellent eating but large trout could have ciguatera and caution should be shown.

Also known as Coral Cod.  The blue spots on the head are elongated, not round as they are in a coral trout.  It has a large mouth and sharp, widely spaced canine teeth.

Barramundi have a small head, large mouth and large eyes which glow bright red in torchlight.  They can be brilliant silver ranging through to very dark chocolate brown depending on their habitat.  They have large scales and a powerful tail.  Small barramundi have a characteristic light stripe down the forehead between the eyes which becomes more pronounced when the fish is excited.  

All fish start out as males and ater spawinng once or twice, become female for the rest of their lives.

Excellent eating.

Cobia have a high dorsal fin, large dark pectoral fins, very short dorsal spines before the high soft dorsal fin. They have a creamy white belly with a white stripe on their sides.  They also have very short dorsal spine

The Magnificent Black Marlin has rigid pectoral fins which cannot be laid next to the body.  The start of the second dorsal is forward to the start of the second anal fin.  It has a stout body, steel blue to purple above with vivid purple/mauve reflections and white to brown underbody. 

Catch and release.

Also known as the Blackarse, the Breaksea cod's colour varies but can be brown to yellow with dusky black fins.   The eye is a bright red and the anus is found in a large black spot, leading to the common name.

Excellent eating.

Sometimes called Carpet Cod, the Flowery Cod is a pale brown colour with darker chocolate brown flowery blotches on the sides.  There are numerous smaller spots over the stomach and fins.  The ventral fins are spotted and tail fin is heavily spotted and rounded. It has a distinct hump on the head above the eyes.

Excellent eating.

Also known as the Eight Bar Grouper, this fish has 8 distinct brown to black vertical bars, the dorsal anal and pelvic fins are blackish-brown in colour and it has a faint brown band from the eye to operculum.

Very good eating.

The Red Emperor is scarlet or salmon pink.  The reddish fins are narrowly edged with white, the cheeks are scaled and there is a deep notch in the lower edge of the pre-operculum (inner cheekbone). The tail has a deep red mark at the top and bottom with a white or pinkish middle divide.

Juvenile Red Emperor have three distinctive red bands which fade with age.

Highly prized eating fish.

The Estuary Cod is brown on top fading to cream below, with five vertical darker bars on the body.   Numerous small orange-brown spots are on the head, body and median fins.

They are good eating. 

Do not confuse with Chinaman Cod.  

Juvenile Chinaman Fish are different from adults with blue stripes on a yellow background and extended soft dorsal ray filaments.  Fins are reddish pink. 

Adults lack extended filaments and are reddish with darker vertical bars.  They have a stout body, a row of scales on the cheeks and a deep pit on the upper snout immediately before the eyes. 

Beware of the risk of ciguatera poisoning, especially in larger fish.

Also known as Chinaman Rockcod and Charlie Courts, this cod has a large mouth and long dorsal fin with lobed soft dorsal.  It can be distinguished by 4 or 5 prominent broad vertical bars and sometimes there are white blotches on the head. 

It is good eating.

The barra cod has a white body covered with blotched black spots.  The head resembles the barramundi hence the name.  There is a noticeable hump to the back which makes the head look much smaller than it is. 

Juveniles have fewer but larger black spots and can take on an almost pearlescent glow.  

A Tailor has sharp teeth, moderately forked tail which is usually darker than the other fins, blue-green back (hence greenback) and a silver to white belly.  The eye can be yellow.   Quality baitfish.

Good eating, oily greyish flesh,  smoke well. 

Also known as King Salmon, these fish are silvery-blue along the back changing
slowly to silvery-white on the belly. The pectoral fins are yellow with
four to five thread-like filaments located below. The forked tail is
dusky grey and the dorsal fins and tail are often trimmed with blue-black.

Often mistakenly referred to as the Northern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus), the Longtail Tuna is the easiest tuna to identify.  The Longtail has a long slender tail and the body is deepest near the middle of the first dorsal fin base.  It is dark blue to black on upper 1/3 of the body and silvery white on the lower 2/3 with elongated colourless spots arranged in horizontal rows on the underside and belly.  The pectoral fin is short and finishes in front of the start of the second dorsal fin, which is higher than the first dorsal fin. The dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins are blackish, the tip of the second dorsal and anal fins are washed with yellow, the anal fin is silver, the dorsal and anal finlets are yellow with greyish margins and the tail fin is dark with streaks of yellow/green.

It has red flesh which needs immediate bleeding.  It is strong in flavour.

Sometimes called Longfin Tuna, Albacore are easily identified by the very long pectoral fin extending well behind the commencement of the second dorsal fin.  They are also recognised by a dark yellow first dorsal fin and pale yellow second dorsal fin. 

Juveniles have smaller pecctoral fins but the distinctive white rear border of the tail fin differentiates albacore from juvenile yellowfin or bigeye tuna.

It is excellent eating with firm white flesh and a delicate texture.

A relative of the pearl perch, the dhufish is silvery grey in colour, often with a metallic tinge and have a vertical black stripe (chevron) through a very large eye.  They have a solid body, large head and a very large mouth.  Males have an extended  filament off the end of the dorsal fin.

Juvenile dhufish have about six horizontal black stripes.

Dhufish are excellent eating, but are subject to many laws regarding their capture.

Sambo

Also known as Bluebone and tuskfish, the Baldchin is the largest of the tuskfish species and can be identified by a white chin.  The pectoral fin is yellow with a pale bluish base.  The bones are pale blue (bluebone).

Excellent eating fish.

Also known as Jewfish and River Kingfish, Mulloway can vary in colour from dark bronze to silver with red or purple tinges.  It has large scales, a big mouth and a line of silvery spots along the lateral line.  There is a black spot above the pectoral fin and the tail fin is slightly convex.

They are average eating and do not freeze well.

Also known as Black Jewfish, the Northern Mulloway have large scales, needle like teeth and are silvery bronze in colour.   They have a thinner tail wrist and a rounder tail fin than the mulloway.

Average eating.

A dark stripe extends from the nose to in front of the dorsal fin and lights up when the fish is in feeding mode.  There are no scutes, the tail fin is dark blue to olive and the anal fin is darkish with white edging.   The soft dorsal base is less than twice the length of the anal fin base.

Small fish are reasonable eating but when bigger they are coarse and tasteless.

Also known as Dorado, the dolphinfish can be bright yellow to blue/green colouration with brilliant blue flecks over most of the body and fins.  Mature male fish have a prominent high forehead and tend to be more brightly coloured.  Females have a more streamlined head profile.  Dolphinfish have a very long dorsal and anal fins and a deep V shaped tail.  

It is excellent eating but should be bled.

Hapuka/hapuku are a heavy bodied, square tailed fish with a base colour which varies from silvery blue to pinkish brown.  The distinctive head shape and large mouth which gapes back beyond the rear border of the eye identify this species.  

It can reach a length of 1.8m and weight of 70kg.

It is often confused with the bass groper (polprion moeone) but minor variations in colour and fin spine length differentiate the species.

Excellent eating.

Often confused with the Luderick (Girella Tricuspidata) which is not found in Western Australia, the Zebrafish, sometimes called Stripey Bream, has a silver body with nine or ten tapering dark bars on the sides and olive to yellow fins.  It has a long based dorsal fin and a large forked caudal fin.  The Zebrafish is a plant eater and has a small mouth with two rows of teeth.

Juveniles are darker with less distinct bars. 

Average eating, needing to be bled and cleaned on capture.

The Red Bass is often confused with the Mangrove Jack (lutjanus argentimaculatis) but can be differentiated by a deep channel which runs from the nostrils to the front of the eye.  Also the fins of the Red Bass are blackish.  Its colour can be bright orange to a deep brick red.  The scales have a pale centre which gives a dappled effect.  The snout is pointed, the tail fin is slightly indented and the ventral and anal fins may have a white margin. 

Juvenile red bass have one or two silvery white spots on the back near the rear of the soft dorsal fin.

Red Bass should be catch and release only due to the possibility of ciguatera poisoning, especially on the east coast.

The Mangrove Jack is often confused with Red Bass (Lutjanus Bohar) but it does not have black fins.  The Mangrove Jack's colour is bronze metallic upper with a reddish lower body.  The fins are uniformly reddish and the anal fin may have a white edge.

Juveniles have a brown body with creamy vertical bars on their sides and blue lines around their eyes.   Their fins are red with darker areas and a white margin.

Excellent eating with firm, sweet white flesh.  They are a tough fighter on the line.

Blue Marron

Comparison of the Margaret River hairy marron (cherax tenuimanus) left and smooth marron (cherax cainii) right.  (photo copyright John J.S. Bunn)

The Yellowbanded Wirrah is yellow with a pale belly and broad dark bands on the side of the body and a dark diagonal line from the snout through the eye and continuing across the operculum to intersect with the first dark band on the body.  A second dark line passes from the eye diagonally down to the pre-opercular margin.

They are good eating.

The Eastern Wirrah is a dark green to olive fish with brown spots scattered all over its body and fins.  It has a large mouth, rounded body and thick skin.

It is considered very poor eating.

The southern bluefin tuna is a large, streamlined, fast swimming fish identified by its heavy body and short dorsal, anal and pectoral fins which do not extend to the second dorsal.  The finlets at the rear of the body are yellow edged with black, the first dorsal fin is grey with a yellow tinge, the second dorsal is red/brown  and the caudal keels on the wrist of the tail are conspicuously yellow, especially in the sizes normally encountered by recreational fishers. The body, which is blue-black on the back and silver-white on the flanks and belly, is completely covered in small scales. 

The southern bluefin tuna has medium flavoured flesh which is valued for sashimi.  They need to be bled and chilled on capture.

The yellowfin tuna is easily identified from other tuna by its long, scythe-like dorsal and anal fins in adult fish.  The pectoral fin is long, extending to the commencement of the second dorsal fin.  The second dorsal fin, anal fin and the finlets between those fins and the tail are bright yellow.  The main body is very dark metallic blue, changing to silver on the belly which can have around 20 vertical lines.   The caudal keels on the wrist of the tail are dusky and never yellow as in the southern bluefin tuna. 

Small yellowfin tuna have shorter dorsal and anal lobes and the white vertical bars.

The yellowfin is rated as the best tuna for cooking.  Southern Bluefin tuna are better for sashimi.  Bleeding and chilling the fish greatly improves the quality.

Also known as Skipjack, the Striped Tuna has a rounded, elongated body with a purple/blue back, silver sides and a white belly with 4-6 conspicious horizontal dark bands.  There are two dorsal fins separated by a small space, the first with 14-16 spines, the second followed by 7-9 finlets.  The pectoral fins are short.  The body has no scales except for the lateral line and a strong keel is present on each side of the caudal fin base between two smaller keels.

Dark red meat with a strong flavour however if bled promptly and kept on ice is palatable.  Good for smoking.  Good live bait for marlin, sharks and big tuna.

Often incorrectly referred to as Longtail Tuna (Thunnus Tonggol), the Northern Bluefin Tuna is dark blue above and silver below with a metallic sheen and bright yellow caudal finlets.  Colourless lines and rows of dots may be visible on the lower sides and belly.  The northern bluefin tuna has two dorsal fins, the first may be yellow or blue while the second taller dorsal fin is reddish brown.  The second dorsal fin is followed by 7-10 yellow finlets, edged with black which run down the back towards the tail.   They have relatively short pectoral fins, the head is conical and the mouth is quite large. 

The northern bluefin tuna possesses enormous muscular strength which it channels through a pair of tendons to the sickle shaped tail.  Inn contrast to many other fish, the body stays rigid while the tail flicks back and forth increasing stroke efficiency.

Highly prized red meat for sashimi, these tuna are now considered engandered.

The narrow-barred spanish mackerel or a Spaniard has 15-18 dorsal fin spines and the upper jaw has an obvious external bone extending to the middle of the eye.  They are generally silver with grey to black narrow vertical bars and when caught display a range of iridescent greens and blues which fade quickly.  The large dip in the lateral line below the second dorsal fin is a clear diagnostic feature of the narrow-barred mackerel.        

They are excellent eating but do not freeze well.

Similar to the yellowtail kingfish, the rainbow runner has a smaller mouth and small finlets just in front of the tail, which is deeply forked.  It has a deep blue back and a silver belly and two to four lengthwise stripes of alternating yellow and blue near the lateral line. Average eating with darkish flesh.

Mature Golden Trevally lose their distinctive stripes and the eye is quite small.  They are silver when caught but flash yellow as they die and become golden.  Sometimes black spots may be present on their sides near the tail.  They have no teeth. 

They are top grade table fish but must be bled immediately.

Bluefin trevally- blue tail, soft dorsal and anal fins.  Transparent pectoral fin is elongated and extends to the commencement of the tail scutes.  Small blue or dark spots on the upper body. 

Good firm fleshed table fish.

Similar to Diamond Trevally (Alectis indica) but has a more rounded upper head profile and does not have filaments on the pelvic fins.

 Average eating fish.

May have faint dark bars across the back and/or dark blotches along the lateral line towards the tail.The scattered golden spots on the back are consistent, though they can be quite dark. The body is generally longer and the head profile less steep than the giant trevally. The breast is naked of scales, about halfway up to the pectoral fins.

Small fish are reasonable eating, larger fish are very poor.

Gently sloping head except between snout and mouth where there is a vertical slope. There is a black spot on the upper operculum.

Good eating.

The Giant Trevally is the largest species of the Indo Pacific region and are bluish-silver to almost black, sometimes with a yellowish hue.  Their sides are yellowish silver and they have a small oval-shaped patch of tiny scales on the breast.  The upper flanks may be covered by a scattering of small black dots.  They never have a dark spot on the rear of the operculum.  They have a steep head profile and strong scutes along the rear lateral line. 

Small GTs are good eating but over 10kg are poor tasting. 

Broad-barred Spanish Mackerel are also known as Grey Mackerel and have two characters distinguishing them from other mackerel, which are the black area of the dorsal fin and twenty or more broad vertical ribbons overlying the flanks.  These bars fade upon capture and death.  The Mackerel are blue-green along the back with silvery sides.    

Distinct fishy flavour

The Mackerel Tuna has wavy green lines in the rear portion of the body above the midline. The first dorsal fin reaches almost to the second dorsal. It has two to five dark spots above the ventral fin and prominent teeth.

Poor eating.

Also known as a dog mackerel, it has a silver-grey body with two indefinite rows of  bronze-grey blotches. The juveniles do not have blotches until over 9.5 cm in length. The first dorsal fin has a black membrane and the second dorsal fin and finlets and caudal fins are pearly grey with darker margins while the pelvic fins, anal fin and finlets are white.  School mackerel can be differentiated from spotted mackerel by a patch of white on their dorsal fin.  

Dark flesh with a strong fish flavour.

The Slimy mackerel occupies a vital place in the marine food chain providing a food source for a wide range of finfish such as marlin, tuna, dolphins, whales, seals and seabirds.

Rich in Omega3 and can be eaten.

Bright silver fish with a slender elongated tail base section and a jet black spot at the rear of the gill cover.

Bait fish.

Barracuda have two pairs of enlarged canine teeth on the upper jaw and one pair of enlarged canines on the lower jaw. There are other large backward pointing teeth in both jaws. The barracuda body is long and cylindrical with dark grey or green backs with between 18 and 24 faint, vertical stripes above the lateral line. There are often irregular dark blotches on the fish's sides, mainly towards the tail. The scalloped tail fin is sometimes tinged with yellow or edged in black.

Poor eating quality - grey, coarse and strong smelling flesh.  The species is also a possible ciguatera poisoning risk, and larger specimens should not be eaten in known ciguatera locations.

Also known as short finned barracuda or sea pike, the Snook is a very long and skinny relative of the barracuda. The first dorsal fin commences well behind the end of the pectoral fin and its ventral fins are also set well behind the pectoral fin.

very good eating.

The wahoo is a long and sleek pelagic species which can be identified by its long dorsal fin of even height which starts behind the commencement of its pectoral fin. Its head is long and pointed with a scissor like jaw action with razor sharp teeth. It has over 24 cobalt blue vertical stripes over silvery sides and the trailing edge of the tail fin is vertical.

It is excellent eating.

Sometimes known as Grass Emperor and Black Snapper, this fish has distinct blue lines which radiate from the eye but do not extend right down the cheek like the spangled emperor. Blue dots on the cheek are smaller than those of the blue-spotted emperor and it is more brown than gold in colour with irregular dark blotches which can sometimes form indistinct bands across the body.

Good eating.

This fish has reddish fins and yellow orange tail with red margins, red at the corner of the mouth and yellow around a big eye and a broad yellow area is often present along the middle of its sides.

Good eating.

Also known as the Red Throat Emperor, this emperor is usually red-orange around the eyes with a red dorsal fin, a red patch at the base of the pectoral fins and the corner and inside of the mouth is also red.

Excellent eating.

Also known as red-spot or red-eared emperor, this fish is distinguished by its elongated shape with a fairly small head.  The body is grey to brown with irregular small black blotches and it has a red spot on the upper gill cover. It is often confused with the pink-eared emperor.

It is very good eating.

Also known as Nor'west Snapper, it is a member of the sweetlip group and is identified by blue spots on each scale and blue bars on the cheek.

Very good eating.

The Yellow lip Emperor is easily recognised by the large yellow upper lip and the bright red spot at the base of the pectoral fins. It has large eyes for feeding at night, distinct scales and strong spines on the fins.

It is highly valued as a table fish.

Also known as Painted Sweetlip and netted morwong, the Gold-spotted Sweetlip has a blue body with many yellow spots on the body and fins and small yellow lines on the gill cover.  The lips are large and prominent. 

Juveniles have a gold body with blue stripes which turn into spots as the fish matures.

It is average eating.

Also known as Slate Snapper, the Painted Sweetlip is blue-grey with yellow to golden spots on the head, body and fins. The spots on the head often form lines.

Poor eating, very fishy.

Also known as Sweetlip Emperor (see above), this fish is greyish with black scale centres. The spiny dorsal fin, the pectoral fin base and the area around the eye are red-orange. Dark bars are sometimes present on the side of the body.

They are good eating.

The Brown Sweetlip is very round bodied and pale grey/brown in colour with thick lips.

Average eating, fishy, needs to be bled immediately.

Also known as Crimson Snapper, this fish is pinkish/red over the entire body and the head and mouth are relatively small.  It has a large dark spot at the dorsal side base of the caudal fin.  It is often confused with the Saddletail perch which has a different head profile and a bigger jaw.

It is good eating.

Also known as Scarlet perch and saddletail snapper, the head and mouth are much larger than the crimson sea perch. The head profile is straight or very slightly concave and it has a dark black band at the end of the tail fin.

Very good eating.

This fish with a large eye and mouth has a small black spot at the base of the pectoral fin and a distinctive black flap of skin and bone near the top back edge of the gill cover.

Excellent eating.

Also known as Spanish flag, this fish has 8 orange/yellow parallel horizontal bars.  The tail and dorsal fins are yellow and a black spot is present at the base of the pectoral fin.

Excellent eating.

This fish is olive-grey to maroon on the upper back and has irregular, thin horizontal yellowish stripes along the body.  There are orange spots on the face, a red margin on the dorsal and tail fins and the tail fin has a fine white margin.

Excellent eating.

Cream body with four thick vertical stripes and brown spots.  It has a yellow spot at the base of the pectoral fin.

Good eating. 

Sometimes called Black Snapper, the adult Black and White Sea Perch is grey/black with a pattern of interlocking elongated dark spots over a lightish face.  The eyes and fins are black and the juveniles have short pelvic fins.

It is good eating.

Also known as Brown Hussar, a brown stripe runs from the tail to the eye and there are oblique thin stripes above the lateral line and horizontal thin stripes below the lateral line.  There is a large yellow saddle blotch on the tail base. 

Good eating.

The Redfin Perch has prominent scales and is olive to greyish/green on the upper body progressing down to lighter yellow or silver sides with the belly area being white.  There are five or more dark vertical bands which may join each other forming y shaped bands.  The spiny and soft dorsal fins are large giving the redfin a striking appearance when entirely fanned.  The lower pelvic, anal and tail fins are red to orange/red in colour.

The larger fish are good eating. 

Do not release these fish back into the water as they are an introduced pest.

The Fingermark is a large sea perch with a speckled appearance because of a dark spot on each scale.  A large black blotch which varies in intensity and colour is located below the soft dorsal fin.

Excellent eating.

The Moses Sea Perch is a reddish/pinkish colour with a large mouth and a dark blotch below the start of the soft dorsal fin and above the obvious lateral line.

It is a good eating fish.

Also known as the Deepsea Jewfish, this fish has a large silvery appearance with a large eye and mouth and a small black spot at the base of the pectoral fin.   It lacks the distinctive flap on the gill cover of the Pearl Perch.

Excellent eating.

Also known as the Maori Wrasse, these are the giant of the wrasses, growing to 200 kgs and 2.3 metres.  They can be bluish/grey to olive in colour with a lighter belly area and large scales edged with cream which forms a series of wavy lines down the body. It has distinctive dark markings around the eyes surronded by lighter intricate patterns on the face, lips and gills.  

Catch and release.

Often mistaken for the Lunar Wrasse, the adult male Green Moon Wrasse is blue/green and just behind the pectoral fin the body turns to blue before going back to green-yellow at the tail. The pectoral fin is both yellow and blue and
they have pink irregular lines over the head area.  The juvenile green moon wrasse displays different colours before maturing into an adult.

Beautiful in an aquarium however they grow to be big and boisterous fish and need room to swim and forage. They also cannot be trusted with any small inverts or fish which will be harrassed and eaten.