Find a Fish
Blue Grenadier
Macruronus novaezelandiae (Hector, 1871)
A Blue Grenadier trawled during the NORFANZ expedition at a depth between the surface and 846 m in international waters south of Norfolk Island, June 2003 (NMNZ P.39487). Photo: R. McPhee © NORFANZ. View larger image.
The Blue Grenadier is an elongate, compressed fish that tapers to a point. The second dorsal, anal and caudal fins are all joined. It has a large mouth and tiny deciduous scales.
This species is silvery with a purplish or bluish-green tinge above. The fins of live fish are dark blue.
It grows to about 1.1 m in length and a weight of about 6 kg.
The Blue Grenadier is a commercially important benthic species that is found inshore as juveniles and in continental slope waters at depths from 450 m to 800 m as adults.
This species occurs in temperate marine waters of Australia and New Zealand. In Australia it is known from off central New South Wales to south-eastern Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The Blue Grenadier has also been called the Blue Hake, Hoki and New Zealand Whip-tail.
Related links
- View the Deepsea fishes list
Further reading
- 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.
- Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & R.D. Ward. 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook, an identification guide to domestic species. CSIRO Marine Research. Pp. 461.
