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Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber)

Fish & Other Seafood

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Also known as Leopard Fish

Coral Trout range in colour from pink to red to brown, with small brilliant blue spots over the body and head.

Coral Trout are sometimes confused with Tomato or Coral Cod which have similar markings.  However the Coral Trout has an inward-curved tail and 7 or 8 spines in the first dorsal fin, the Coral Cod has a rounded tail and nine spines in the first dorsal.

The Coral Trout is a protogynous hermaphrodite, that is, the individual becomes sexually mature first as a female and then later changes its sex to a male.  It is only one sex at a time and cannot self fertilise.

Most Coral Trout mature as females when they are about 22cm long and about 2 years old.   At this time a mature female Coral Trout can product 83,000 eggs a year.  A 4 year old female can produce about 458,000 eggs a year.

Coral trout are widely dispersed around coral reef waters of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.  They grow to about 110cm and can weigh more than 20kg.  Generally the largest Coral Trout are found well offshore.  Although basically a bottom-dwelling fish, Coral Trout frequently cruise and hunt well off the seabed and are capable of bursts of great speed.

Coral Trout can be usually caught on a wide variety of cut fish baits, but they will also take trolled lures, jigs and live baits.

Coral Trout are a highly prized table fish with firm white flesh.

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