Also known as:
Maori rock cod
Maori groper
Maori grouper
Red-speckled rock cod
Scribbled Rock cod
Common Group Name:
Cods and groupers
Family Name:
Serranidae
Genus Name:
Epinephelus
Species Name:
Epinephelus undulatostriatus
Dispatch Method:
Beware of the sharp gill covers and dorsal spines of maori 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:
- Generally brown with many wavy longitudinal brownish orange stripes or spots. Fins with narrow bright yellow margins.
Fish Distribution:
- This species is endemic to eastern Australia, being found on inshore reefs to depths of around 80 meters from the southern Great Barrier Reef to around Batemans Bay in New South Wales.
- May be encountered further south during the summer months. One specimen was reported from Kangaroo Islands, South Australia.
Fish Size Common Length:
30-45 cm, maximum size around 60 cm and 5 kg.
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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.
