Also known as:
Black-arse
Black-arse Cod
Black-arsed Cod
Tiger Cod
Common Group Name:
Cods and groupers
Family Name:
Serranidae
Genus Name:
Epinephelides
Species Name:
Epinephelides armatus
Dispatch Method:
Beware of the sharp gill covers and dorsal spines of breaksea cod when handling them. Most rock cods have similar brain locations and all can be very tolerant of air exposure. To maximise their eating qualities they should be killed humanely by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.
Fish Description:
- Colouration highly variable from reddish, pink, brown, green, grey or even yellow.
- Square tail and a large black blotch around the vent.
- This species matures at ages 3-4 at around 23-27 cm long (females) and 27-35 cm long (males).
- Maximum age for breaksea cod is around 20 years old.
Fish Distribution:
- This species is endemic to temperate areas of Western Australia and occurs on offshore reefs from Recherche Archipelago to Shark Bay.
Fish Size Common Length:
30-40 cm, maximum length 56 cm, and weight 3 kg.
For assistance with identifying fishes, see fishesofaustralia.net.au. For information on size and bag limits, check out the website of your State Fisheries Department.
We thank fishesofaustralia.net.au and Australia's various Fisheries Departments for some of the thumbnail images used to assist with fish identification on this website and its applications, as licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia. Thanks also to Michigan State University and Georgia Aquarium for generous donation of xrays of some US fish species.
