Help with greasy cod?

[samson]

I've always thought Gold Spot Estuary Cod and Greasy Cod to be the same fish that has a couple of common names, but the consensus of a lot of people seems they are different varieties. Because Greasy Cod have a 100cm Maximum size, i'm asking out of interest as i alway's see Gold Spot Cod dead in pitcures well above 100cm eg. the 24kg specimen caught in the last Bowen Fishing Classic in the October fish and boat magazine. I've asked fisheries inspectors but they have no idea and its their job to know, if they didn't have their little pitcure books everything would be leagle size their bloody useless. They say its your responsability to know or be fined but they get payed to know and still don't have a clue. Any assistance would be much appreciated.

[bidkev]

The estuary cod is also known as the greasy cod..they're one and the same according to Grants but not, according to the DPIF which have different lower and upper size limits for them. Gold spot cod are hard to research and define and to the best of my knowledge there is no reference to them in DPI&F publications of allowable fin fish.

On the other hand, in some of their aquaculture publications they refer to gold spot cod and not the greasy or estuary.

To further complicate matters, Grants have no reference to gold spot cod.

One could assume that either the greasy or estuary cod is also referred to as a gold spot cod (they have prominent spots as juveniles). It seems strange that the fisheries section of DPI&F doesn't refer to gold spot cod, whilst the aquaculture branch does????

It could well be that the fisheries doesn't refer to gold spot cod as there is no limitation on catch/size but I find it strange that Grants doesn't refer to them either and I also have numerous other publications that don't, including 3 fish recognition charts.

To summarise, Grants labels estuary cod and greasy cod as the same fish. The DPI&F don't and although they have different size limts for these two fish, they don't provide any meaningful way of identifying the difference between the two, although other publications do. Considering how varied estuary cod colours can be within seconds of them leaving the water, this is a big failing on their behalf. In their coloured reef fish field guide they illustrate no less than 38 cod and grouper but no mention of gold spot or estuary. The greasy rock cod can carry orange spots so is "gold spot" just a label that's been adopted by recco fishers?

The difference between estuary cod and greasy is plain to see (in pictures) so there can be no justification for taking a greasy over 100cm or under 38.

Sorry I can't help any further with the gold spot and I don't suppose fisheries can either

[samson]

Thanks for your help on understanding these species more kingtin you've put a lot of research into this topic it still very complexing though, but next time i catch a big gold spot cod over 100cm i'll presume its a greasy cod and release it just to be safe, i don't need fisheries looking down their nose at me. but it going to be sad seeing a big cod floating away with popeye eyes from the effects of barotrauma when i could put out of its misery quickly and humanely. Thanks mate didn't think anybody had an idea.

[Brownbear]

Hey Samson! Check out kitty_cat's post in saltwater photos. "Big Cod" 40kgs, and an unsucsessful release

[MADKEEN]

Hi Samson,

try this link



http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishguide/15731.html

[samson]

After all the reseach i've done and assistance from people there is deffinitly no imformation that conclusively makes Gold Spot Cod and Greasy Cod two seperate speices. Which means any Gold Spot Cod approx 10kg size or there abouts caught is governed by the 100cm max size making all those big cod in pitures you see dead with gold spots and brown in colouration caught alot in Queensland are in fact Greasy Cod and should have been subject to the max size. Thanks for everybodys help but getting information on gold spots is like chasing down a ghost that just isn't there.

[Presto]

[img][/img]
What fish is this? #Goldie or greasy?

[samson]

Hey Presto didn't see any picture but from what i know gold spot cod and greasy cod are one and the same going under the scientific name of Epinephelus Tauvina