Fish ID please

[gogecko]

Any idea what this is? Found in canals on the Gold Coast. Looks more like it escaped from someones aquarium.

[Sergio_kutz]

Hey, Gogecko, was that you who we saw picking it out of the water on sunday. I was fishing on the bank just there. We saw it floating there for a while and assumed it was someones crab pot float. If i knew it was a fish i would have swum out to see what it was. Freeking wierd thing tho. I'm interested to see what others thing it was.

Cheers, Sergio

[straddie]

Heya Gogecko

It's a butterfish, you see quite a few of them around the Brisbane river and flats areas. That one is a pretty good size although they do grow a little bit bigger. Haven't tried eating them myself but have heard a few others say they aren't too bad.

[MickEddy]

g'day
yeh's it's a butter fish AKA sickle fish. if they are a decent size they can make a good feed. the link(although american has a good piccy) http://www.scuba-equipment-usa.com/m...fasciata).html

mick

[gogecko]

Thx, Straddie and Mick, yes its a striped butterfish. Seems related to the John Dory? I didnt eat him cause I wasnt sure.

Hes a big one. Seems the record for a striped butterfish is 1.22kg, http://www.aaawa.iinet.net.au/Nation...ngRecords.html
and this one went 1.35kg! Couldnt claim him tho, as I netted him with a landing net. Im just happy to find out what he is.

Yes Sergio, that was me at Jabiru Is. We stayed there another hour, cause there were fish showing on the sounder, but none of them bit after the high tide. That butterfish was just swimming around the boat. We thought he might have got hit by a prop or something. He didnt look well. Still had a seabug of some sort on his mouth, so he'd been eating lately. Something had knocked him about.

[imnotoriginal]

He's right, it's a butterfish. Have caught plenty of them over at tangalooma, mainly using corn and cheese-dough. My best went 32cm. They are pretty tasty and have skin just like a leatherjacket.
Joel

[Scott15]

i know them as scats

[mharper2001]

I remember them as scats as well. They must of had a name change. Anyway last time i had one it was called a silver scat .
(Scatophagus multifasciatus)

[mangajack]

They are scats, butterfish and the Qld version of John Dory so the markets will tell you. They are good eating and this time every year the shoals come in to the shallows. Off the old redcliffe pier (the timber one with the big square on the end) we used to cast net them to over the kilo mark while casting for hardiheads. Watch out for the spines tho..........they are just like happy moments.

Jack

[Girella]

I've caught quite a few when fishing for luderick.

Can definitely vouch for the poison in the spines.

Handle with care.

By the way I have seen small ones for sale for aquaria.

PK

[stunnedmullet]

I agree with the last two posts....Handle with care. I have always called them butterfish or cr@p!
Be careful of spines when throwing them back.
The mullet

[bidkev]

Here's the deckie with a luderick and butterfish double from the cast net, and yes, they're good chewin'.

Got spiked by one once on Sandgate pier.........buggered the day completely...... lesson learned

cheers

kev

[james_noosa]

yeah they are silver scats. my brother has one in his fish tank coz they can live in fresh and salt water, you can also buy them from the pet shop under $20 but recommend not doing so coz they grow fast and harrass the other fish
james

[Billo]

yep ....scat !

[backhoe]

Yep they are scats to me too. Sickle fish are different. They live in fish tanks pretty well in fresh and salt water. We also used to get a brown coloured one sometimes in cast nets but never very big.