Dispatch Method:

Beware of the sharp dorsal and anal spines of grass sweetlip when handling them. 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 tan, brown or yellow with scattered irregular dark blotches
  
• Blue dots on cheeks and short blue lines radiating from the lower eye.
  
• This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite which matures first as a female at 3-4 years old (25-30 cm long) before changing to male by around 38 cm (6-8 years old).
  
• Maximum age may exceed 20 years.
  
• A large number of similar looking emperors occur in Australian waters. All are closely related and have similar brain locations.

Fish Distribution:

• This species can be found in tropical and subtropical parts of the western Pacific Ocean, including throughout northern Australia as far south as northern NSW.
  
• Juvenile grass sweetlip less than about 20 cm long frequent shallow inshore waters near seagrass beds and rubble patches.
  
• As they grow and mature they leave these nursery areas and move into deeper waters where they frequent reefy areas, including coral reefs.

Fish Size Common Length:

25-35 cm, maximum size around 60 cm and 5 kg.