RECREATIONAL FISHING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE MARCH 2011 Cover: Dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) Photo: Henrique Kwong Published by Department of Fisheries, Perth, Western Australia. Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 86, March 2011. ISSN: 1447 - 2058 ISBN: 978-1-921845-05-5 2 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE ABOUT THIS GUIDE his guide has been developed to help you identify the Tmore common species within the West Coast and South Coast bioregions that you may encounter. The purpose of this recreational fishing guide is to greatly enhance consistent and accurate species identification. If you are unsure about a particular species (or if it is not in this guide), please discuss it with a representative of the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. You can access additional information on the website www.fish.wa.gov.au See Northern Fish Identfication Guide for these regions 114° 50' E North Coast Kununurra (Pilbara/Kimberley) Broome Gascoyne Coast Port Hedland Karratha 21°46' S Onslow A sh bur Exmouth ton R iver Carnarvon Denham 27°S Kalbarri Geraldton West Coast Eucla Perth Esperance Augusta Black Point Albany South Coast 115°30' E Regions covered by this guide SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 3 CONTENTS ABOUT THIS GUIDE ������������������������������������������������������ 3 OFFSHORE DEMERSAL ................................................. 5 INSHORE DEMERSAL .................................................... 6 NEARSHORE................................................................. 9 ESTUARINE ................................................................ 13 PELagIC .................................................................... 14 SHARKS ..................................................................... 15 CRUSTACEANS ........................................................... 16 MOLLUSCS ................................................................. 17 INDEX OF COMMON NAMES ....................................... 18 Five broad ecological depth based habitats are recognised within each bioregion. Finfish species are listed in the habitat where they most commonly occur. Sharks and crustaceans are presented separately as they may occupy many habitats. 200 mile Economic Exclusion Zone Land ESTUARINE PELAGIC PAGE 14 NEARSHORE PAGE 13 PAGE 9 OFFSHORE INSHORE DEMERSAL DEMERSAL PAGE 5 PAGE 6 250m 20m 4 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE OFFSHORE DEMERSAL Juvenile Eightbar grouper Bass groper (Grey banded rockcod, eightbar cod) Polyprion americanus Hyporthodus octofasciatus Hapuku Ruby snapper (Hapuku cod) Etelis carbunculus Polyprion oxygeneios Blue-eye trevalla Hyperoglyphe antarctica SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 5 INSHORE DEMERSAL Juvenile West Australian dhufish Western Blue groper (Dhuie) Achoerodus gouldii Glaucosoma hebraicum Juvenile Snapper Blue morwong (Pink snapper, pinkie) (Queen snapper) Pagrus auratus Nemadactylus valenciennesi Baldchin groper Harlequin fish (Baldie) Othos dentex Choerodon rubescens Breaksea cod Bight redfish (Black arse snapper) (Red snapper, nannygai) Epinephelides armatus Centroberyx gerrardi 6 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE Swallowtail Sergeant Baker Centroberyx lineatus Aulopus purpurissatus Yellow-eyed red snapper Bighead Gurnard perch Centroberyx australis (Gurnard perch) Neosebastes pandus Foxfish Common Coral trout (Western foxfish) (Leopard coral trout) Bodianus frenchii Plectropomus leopardus Sea Sweep Redthroat emperor Scorpis aequipinnis (Sweetlip emperor) Lethrinus miniatus SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 7 INSHORE DEMERSAL (CONTINUED) Spangled emperor Yellowtail emperor (North west snapper) Lethrinus atkinsoni Lethrinus nebulosus Grass emperor Painted sweetlip (Black snapper, blue-lined emperor, (Slatey bream, sweetlip) grass snapper, tricky snapper) Diagramma labiosum Lethrinus laticaudis Bluespotted emperor (Lesser spangled emperor) Lethrinus punctulatus 8 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE NEARSHORE King George whiting T rumpeter whiting Sillaginodes punctata Sillago burrus Southern school whiting (School whiting, sand whiting) Sillago bassensis Yellowfin whiting (Western sand whiting, yellowfinned whiting, See below to distinguish between western and southern school whiting. silver whiting) Sillago schomburgkii 2 1 Western school whiting Southern garfish (School whiting, sand whiting) (Gardie, southern sea garfish) Sillago vittata Hyporhamphus melanochir Distinguishing features Dark blotch 1 2 below dorsal fin Lower lobe of tail fin longer Dot markings More defined on base of diagonal bars Robust garfish pectoral fin Hemiramphus robustus SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 9 NEARSHORE (CONTINUED) Australian herring Sea mullet (Herring, tommy ruff) (Mullet) Arripis georgianus Mugil cephalus Juvenile Western Australian salmon Yellowtail scad (Salmon) (Yellowtail, yellowtail horse mackerel) Arripis truttaceus Trachurus novaezelandiae Mulloway Western butterfish (River Kingfish, kingie) (Butterfish, buttery) Argyrosomus japonicus Pentapodus vitta Yelloweye mullet Blue-spotted goatfish (Pilch, yellow-eyed mullet) (Red mullet) Aldrichetta forsteri Upeneichthys vlamingii 10 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE Silver trevally Striped barracuda (Skipjack, skippy) (Pike, striped seapike) Pseudocaranx dentex Sphyraena obtusata Sand trevally Horseshoe leatherjacket (Skipjack, skippy) Meuschenia hippocrepis Pseudocaranx wrighti Tailor Sixspine leatherjacket Pomatomus saltatrix (Reef leatherjacket) Meuschenia freycineti Male Female Snook Western King wrasse Sphyraena novaehollandiae Coris auricularis SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 11 NEARSHORE (CONTINUED) Brownspotted wrasse Banded sweep Notolabrus parilus Scorpis georgianus Male Female Maori Wrasse Blue mackerel Ophthalmolepis lineolatus (Slimey mackerel, common mackerel) Scomber australasicus T rumpeter Oriental bonito (Striped trumpeter) Sarda orientalis Pelates octolineatus Weeping toadfish POISONOUS (Blowie, pufferfish, common blowfish) Torquigener pleurogramma 12 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE ESTUARINE Black bream Smalltooth flounder Acanthopagrus butcheri (Small toothed flounder) Pseudorhombus jenynsii Tarwhine Yellowtail flathead (Silver bream) (Bar-tailed flathead) Rhabdosargus sarba Platycephalus endrachtensis Estuary Cobbler Southern Bluespotted flathead (Cobbler) (Blue-spotted flathead, southern flathead) Cnidoglanis macrocephalus Platycephalus speculator SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 13 PELAGIC Juvenile Samsonfish Shark mackerel Seriola hippos (Scaly mackerel, salmon mackerel) Grammatorcynus bicarinatus Yellowtail kingfish Yellowfin tuna (Kingfish, kingie) Thunnus albacares Seriola lalandi Mahi Mahi Southern Bluefin tuna (Dolphinfish) Thunnus maccoyii Coryphaena hippurus Spanish mackerel Blue marlin (Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel) Makaira mazara Scomberomorus commerson 14 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE SHARKS Black marlin Whaler sharks Makaira indica (Dusky shark, bronze whaler) Carcharhinus spp. Striped marlin Whiskery shark Tetrapterus audax Furgaleus macki Gummy sharks (Southern gummy shark) Mustelus spp. Sandbar shark (Thickskin shark, northern whaler, sand shark) Carcharhinus plumbeus SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 15 SHARKS (CONTINUED) CRUSTACEANS Hammerhead sharks Western Rock lobster Family Sphyrnidae Panulirus cygnus Wobbegongs Southern Rock lobster Family Orectolobidae Jasus edwardsii Grey nurse shark Blue Swimmer crab Carcharias taurus (Blue manna, blue crab) Portunus pelagicus Port Jackson shark Marron Heterodontus portusjacksoni Cherax tenuimanus 16 SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE MOLLUSCS Roe’s abalone Squid Haliotis roei Order Teuthoidea Greenlip abalone Octopus Haliotis conicopora Octopus spp. Brownlip abalone Haliotis roei SOUTHERN FISH IDENTIFICATION GUIDE 17 INDEX OF COMMON NAMES A H Australian herring ........................ 10 Hammerhead sharks ................... 16 Hapuku ......................................... 5 B Harlequin fish ............................... 6 Baldchin groper ............................. 6 Horseshoe leatherjacket .............. 11 Banded sweep ............................ 12 Bass groper .................................. 5 K Bighead Gurnard perch .................. 7 King George whiting ....................... 9 Bight redfish ................................. 6 Black bream ............................... 13 M Black marlin ................................ 15 Mahi Mahi .................................. 14 Blue-eye trevalla ............................ 5 Maori Wrasse.............................. 12 Blue mackerel ............................. 12 Marron ....................................... 16 Blue marlin ................................. 14 Mulloway..................................... 10 Blue morwong ............................... 6 Bluespotted emperor ..................... 8 O Blue-spotted goatfish ................... 10 Octopus ...................................... 17 Blue Swimmer crab ..................... 16 Oriental bonito ............................ 12 Breaksea cod ................................ 6 Brownlip abalone ......................... 17 P Brownspotted wrasse .................. 12 Painted sweetlip ............................ 8 Port Jackson shark ...................... 16 C Common Coral trout ...................... 7 R Redthroat emperor ........................ 7 E Robust garfish .............................. 9 Eightbar grouper ............................ 5 Roe’s abalone ............................. 17 Estuary Cobbler ........................... 13 Ruby snapper ...............................