7 Facts about the Yellowtail King Fish

1 The Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is more commonly referred to as “kingfish” or “kingies” by fishers and divers, and is a member of the trevally and jacks family Carangidae.

2 Kingfish are known to inhabit temperate waters worldwide and in Australia are known to occur from the waters of southern Queensland around the south to Coral Bay in the Western Australia.

3 Often seen around deepwater wrecks, jetty pylons and floating objects in the ocean, kingfish are generally found in schools, however, large animals can be found solitary, cruising around reefs and wrecks.

4 This species is a ferocious predator and divers maybe fortunate enough to see a school of kingies attacking bait schools such as mackerels and scads. They are a curious fish species and if a diver makes a loud noise underwater, it will often bring the kingfish in for a closer look.

5 The Yellowtail Kingfish can be recognized by it’s yellow coloured tail and the bronze-yellow coloured stripe that runs along the lateral line on the body. Kingfish generally have a blue or blue-green colour on their back, and a white-silver below. They have elongate, compressed bodies and very small, smooth scales.

6 Often confused with other similar-looking trevelly type species including samsonfish (Seriola hippos) and amberjack (Seriola dumerili). Small kingfish are commonly referred to by fishers as “Rats”.

7 The Kingfish grows to a maximum size of approximately 2 metres and can weigh up to 70 kilograms. A Royal Jack –The Yellowtail Kingfish
From Scuba Australasia Issue 3/2011
By Dave Harasti