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Gemfish
Rexea solandri (Cuvier, 1832)

Above and below: A Gemfish trawled by K. Graham on FRV Kapala, at a depth of 365 m, off Cape Hawke, New South Wales, 1985. Photo: K. Graham © NSW DPI. View larger image.

Photo: K. Graham © NSW DPI. View larger image.

A 65 cm long Gemfish caught by I. Cameron at a depth of 270 m, off Brunswick Heads, New South Wales, May 2005. Photo © I. Cameron. View larger image.

The Gemfish has a moderately elongate compressed body. It has two dorsal fins followed by two separate finlets. The pelvic fin comprises a tiny spine and two of three rays. The mouth is relatively large reaching to under the front of the eyes. There are large fang-like teeth at the front of the jaws, which are followed by a row of smaller compressed teeth. The lateral line is forked, with one branch running along the upper sides of the body and the second branch diverging downward below the fifth dorsal fin spine, then running along the side of the body.

The species is iridescent bluish above and silver below. There is a dark mark distally on the fin membrane between the first three dorsal fin spines.

It grows to about 1.2 m in length and a weight of 15 kg.

This species occurs in temperate marine waters of Australia and New Zealand, where it has been caught at depths between 100 m and 800 m.

In Australia it is known from off southern Queensland, around the south of the country and north to the central coast of Western Australia.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

The Gemfish is an excellent food fish that was the target of an important but increasingly over-exploited fishery in south-eastern Australia during the late 1970s and 1980s.  In 1993 the targeted fishery was closed based on the results of scientific research, which showed declining catch rates and a significant decline in the average size of fish in the mature population.  Since then only bycatch has been allowed.

It has also been called the Barraconda, Common Gemfish, Deepsea Kingfish, King Barracouta, King Couta and Silver Gemfish.

Related links

• John Paxton's research on the Genetics of Gemfish
• Snake Mackerel fact sheet
• View the Family Gempylidae list
• View the Mackerels, Tunas, Gemfish, Escolars list

Further reading

1. Gomon, M.F. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
2. Colgan, D.J. & J.R. Paxton. 1997. Biochemical genetics and recognition of a western stock of the common gemfish, Rexea solandri (Scombroidea: Gempylidae), in Australia. 48(2): Marine and Freshwater Research. 48(2): 103-118, 5 figs.
3. Parin, N.V. & J.R. Paxton. 1990. Know your catch, Australia's east coast gemfish. Australian Fisheries, 49(5): suppl. 5pp.
4. Pogonoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & J.R. Paxton. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Canberra: Environment Australia. Pp. 375.
5. Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & R.D. Ward. 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook, an identification guide to domestic species. CSIRO Marine Research. Pp. 461.