New Zealand country information

Common names: Gemfish, Hake, Southern kingfish
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: highly commercial | Ref: Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Stock structure: Two stocks are assumed - a southern/west-coast stock and a northern/east-coast stock (Ref. 28836) - but these stocks have not been confirmed either biochemically or morphologically. The presumed stock boundaries occur somewhere on the east coast of the South Island and somewhere on the west coast, perhaps between the North and South Islands (Ref. 28836). Taken by trawls during the summer. Voucher specimen(s) held at the NMNZ. Also Ref. 45493.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/nz.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.fish.govt.nz/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Gempylidae (Snake mackerels)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Рексия южная (=южная змеевидная макрель), Escolier tifiati, Escolar plateado, ... more

Main reference

Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin. 1993. (Ref. 6181)
References | Biblio | Coordinator : Parin, Nikolay V. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 110 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6181); max. published weight: 16.0 kg (Ref. 28838); max. reported age: 16 years (Ref. 28786)

Length at first maturity
L_m ?, range 60 - 70 cm

Environment

Marine; benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 100 - 800 m (Ref. 6181), usually 300 - 450 m (Ref. 28786)

Climate / Range

Deep-water, preferred 17°C (Ref. 107945); 25°S - 48°S, 109°E - 173°W (Ref. 6181)

Distribution

Southwest Pacific: off southern, southwestern and southeastern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Occurrence records from Madagascar and Japan need to be verified.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 18 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-19; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 13 - 16; Vertebrae: 36. Body entirely scaled at over 25 cm SL. Lateral line branching below the 5th to the 6th spine of the first dorsal fin. The upper branch reaches beyond the origin of the second dorsal fin, usually ending between the 8th to the 12th soft ray. The lower branch runs mid laterally, undulating above the anal-fin base. Body is bluish above, silvery below, a black blotch distally on two anterior membranes of the first dorsal fin, the rest of the fin is grayish.

Found in schools on continental shelf and slope. They are normally caught close to the sea bed but probably move into midwater at times (Ref. 28786). Juveniles are pelagic, adults also occur near the surface off Tasmania and New Zealand. Dense schools of pre-spawners migrate along the continental slope at about 400 m during winter (Ref. 9563). Feed on fish, squid and crustaceans. The flesh is of good edible quality and especially tasty when smoked. In Australia, the eastern gemfish stock has been subjected to a prolonged period of poor recruitment which started in 1989 (Ref. 28843, 28786). This event resulted in a very significant decline in the gemfish resource. In Australia, efforts are now being channeled towards the recovery of the fishery.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
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Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5078 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.3 ±0.66 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.15-0.21; tm=3-6; tmax=16; Fec=500,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High vulnerability (62 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high

Rexea solandri (Cuvier, 1832)