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Also known as:

Gold-spotted estuary cod

Gold-spotted rock cod

Brown-spotted grouper

Brown-spotted rock cod

Estuary rock cod

Greasy grouper

Orange-spotted grouper

Common Group Name:

Cods and groupers

Family Name:

Serranidae

Genus Name:

Epinephelus

Species Name:

Epinephelus coioides


Dispatch Method:

Beware of the sharp gill covers and dorsal spines of estuary cod when handling them. Estuary cod and other 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:

  • Estuary Cod are brown above and whitish below with irregular, oblique bars on the body. They have numerous small orange-brown spots on the head, body and fins.
  • This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite which matures first as a female at 2-3 years old (30-35 cm long) before changing to male at 55-75 cm long.

Fish Distribution:

  • This species occurs in tropical and subtropical estuaries throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Juveniles live near snags and other structure in rivers, estuaries, and inshore reefs.
  • Larger specimens move to offshore reefs as they mature to depths of around 100 m.

Fish Size Common Length:

30-60 cm, maximum size around 120 cm and 40 kg in weight.