Hartail
Submitted by sambo24 on Sat, 2012-02-25 23:00
Right. SO I've heard a bit about hartail (if you dunno what they are google it lol) and my question is, did they ever exist in WA or do they still?
In an ID book I have it says they are widespread along the southern coast from southern NSW to SW WA. I searched fishwrecked for any info but there didn't seem to be much.
Any thoughts?
Cheers, Sam.
.thumbnail.jpg "Freeswimming black trying to mow a tuna")
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18070
Date Joined: 11/03/08
never heard of them before.
never heard of them before. hartail or hairtail which one is it
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
sambo24
Posts: 134
Date Joined: 03/05/11
Talking about Hartail, also
Talking about Hartail, also known as frostfish I think?
Perry Home
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 07/10/10
Interesting Fish
I read an article about them many years ago being cught in the estuarine waters of a larger river system in NSW.
Iam quite sure they have turned up inisde the Inner harbour in Bunbury quite a few years ago - but as the harbour is now completely inaccessible due to security protocols within the port it is doubtful that fishing there is an option.
Redemperor000
Posts: 295
Date Joined: 14/01/12
My dad caught a huge one
My dad caught a huge one inside woodies rockwall many years ago,
beau
Posts: 4106
Date Joined: 24/01/10
I think the Fishing WA crew
I think the Fishing WA crew catch one in one of thier earlier seasons, but the more i think about it the more i get confused to where they caught it, i think they might have been anchored up next to canarvon jetty or busso jetty
sambo24
Posts: 134
Date Joined: 03/05/11
Theres little info on where
Theres little info on where they are, and I think when they show up on the east coast its a big deal judging by this
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2011/07/06/hairtail-fish-by-the-hundreds-in-river/
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Hairtail
Largehead hairtail, large schools infrequently found in coastal bays and estuarys of Australia's east and west coast.
Easily recognised by the thin ribbon like body and silvery colour. Also known as Aust hairtail and Cox's hairtail, max length 2.34 metres.
I have never seen one in some 50 years of fishing the west coast and estuarys so the next one will be my first.
Cortez474
Posts: 109
Date Joined: 24/01/12
I remember quite a few years
I remember quite a few years ago my brother and caught heaps while crabbing in the marina at Dongara....... Only saw them there one time though....
Yewiefish85
Posts: 795
Date Joined: 02/01/11
caught one about 7 or 8 years
caught one about 7 or 8 years ago of all places in Port Hedland, only about 45cm tho
Glenn Moore
Posts: 228
Date Joined: 13/02/12
Hairtail
Yes, they occur in WA - always have and still do. Largehead Hairtail Trichiurus lepturus occur all around Australia and in all tropical and temperate seas of the world, although it is probably a complex of multiple species that are yet to be described. There are a few other known species also, including in WA. They are not so common in the south. We sometimes get contacted by members of the public either catching one or finding one on the beach. They grow to around 1.2m and generally live in very deep water (to 350 or 400m), but the adults apparently have a DVM [diurnal(daily) vertical migration] that is opposite to most deepsea fishes - that is, they come to the surface to hunt during the day and stay deep at night. Interestingly, the juveniles and small adults have the opposite DVM (surface at night, deep during day). Large adults feed on any pelagic prey - anchovies, sardines, trevally, barracuda, whitebait, squid and even juvenile tuna and other hairtails. From what little I know, they sometimes enter estuaries in early to mid winter.
Glenn Moore
Curator of Fishes
Western Australian Museum
twitter @WestOzFish