Also known as:
Halfbeaks
Snubnose garfish
Northern snubnose garfish
River garfish
Needle gar
Splinter gar
Halfbeak
Beakie
Gardie
Piper
Common Group Name:
Garfishes, Halfbeaks
Family Name:
Hemirhamphidae
Genus Name:
Hemiramphus
Species Name:
Hemiramphus spp., Arrhamphus spp.
Dispatch Method:
The various species of garfish and halfbeaks have similar brain locations. To maximise their eating qualities they can be killed quickly and humanely in an ice slurry as well as by iki jime or a knock to the head.
Fish Description:
- Long, thin silvery fishes with a prominent elongated lower jaw (or beak).
- Garfish are well adapted to swim and feed at or near the water surface.
Fish Distribution:
- Various species of garfish occur throughout the worlds oceans in warmer tropical and subtropical waters. They occur in marine, estuarine and sometimes even freshwater environments.
Fish Size Common Length:
15-25 cm, maximum size around 40 cm.
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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.
