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Fish Photos & Information

Fish, Crustaceans & Cephalopods

Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber)

Australian salmon or Australasian salmon, known as kahawai in New Zealand, are medium-sized perciform marine fish of the small family Arripidae (also spelled Arripididae). Four species are recognized, all within the genus Arripis; they are found in the waters off southern Australia (including Tasmania) and New Zealand. Despite the common name, Australian salmon are not related to the salmon (family Salmonidae) of the Northern Hemisphere; the former were named so by early European settlers after their superficial resemblance to the salmoniform fishes.

Australian Salmon have moderately rounded, elongated bodies.  Their dorsal fin is much longer than the anal fin and has 9 spines and 15-19 rays.  Their caudal fin is forked.  Australian Salmon are olive green to steel blue with small dark spots on the back and upper sides, and pale yellow-green to silvery white below.  The pectoral fins are bright yellow.  Juveniles are silvery white with several rods of large golden or brown spots on the back and sides. 

Australian Salmon are endemic to the Australasian region, and inhabit southern Australian waters and also Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, the north and south islands of New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands.

They live in continental shelf waters and are also found in estuaries, bays and inlets.  They school in shallow, open coastal waters and can move over reefs in depths just sufficient to cover their bodies.  Juvenile Australian Salmon are found over soft substrates in shallow and sheltered coastal waters.  They are often found over seagrass beds and in mangrove-lined creeks.  They can tolerate temperature and salinity extremes, such as those found in the gulfs in South Australia and the Coorong.  Larger fish move into exposed coastal waters such as around rocky headlands near reefs and the surf zone.

Australian Salmon are taken by recreational anglers.  they are especially popular with beach and rock anglers.  They are targeted by shoreline and boat based trolling.   The most common method is the use of pilchard bait on 'ganged' (linked) hooks.   Metal lures also work well.

They are opportunistic feeders and they feed on crustaceans and small fish, pilchards, anchovies, tommy ruff, southern sea garfish and calamari, squid and polychaete worms.   Migrating schools of Australian salmon are preyed on by whaler sharks, white pointer sharks, grey nurse sharks, dolphins and occasionally seals.

Angling for Australian Salmon or Kahawai:

Salmon are commonly taken on baits of cut fish flesh, whole pilchards and garfish on ganged hooks, bottle squid or squid pieces, prawns, beach worms and pipis.

They will also occasionally take crabs, cunjevoi or even bread, particularly in a berley trail. Larger specimens will take live yellowtail or mullet baits.

They prefer lightly-weighted or moving baits rather than those anchored to the bottom. Salmon are also avid lure and fly takers.

They succumb to cast and retrieved or trolled metal slices, lead slugs, spoons, spinners, jigs, minnows, plugs, poppers, and streamer flies. Because of their habit of jumping and shaking their heads when hooked, many salmon hooked on lures are lost.

Cooking Australian Salmon:

The Australian salmon or kahawai provides reasonable table fare. It is a dark-fleshed, strongly flavoured fish suitable for smoking, baking or being made into fish cakes. It is popular in Tasmania, Victoria and parts of South Australia and Western Australia, but not highly regarded as a table fish in New South Wales. In areas where salmon are unpopular table fare, this fine sporting fish should always be carefully released to fight again.

To Buy
Sold whole (gilled and gutted) and in fillet form. In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In fillets, look for pale pink to brown, firm, lustrous flesh without any discolouration or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh sea smell.

To Store
Make sure whole fish is scaled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly; Australian salmon must be bled and chilled rapidly after capture as the flesh spoils quickly. Wrap whole fish and fillets in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months below -18ēC.

To Cook
Average yield is 42%. Has a strong flavour, medium-low oiliness and dry, medium-textured flesh with a few rib bones that are easily removed. The flesh colour lightens when cooked and smaller fish are better eating, as the larger ones are drier. Cut thick fillets into serving-size portions.

Cooking Methods
Poach, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, grill, barbecue, smoke, pickle. Larger fish are best marinated and/or wrapped in foil or banana leaves if baking or barbecuing, to prevent the flesh drying out. For a milder flavour, remove the strip of dark red muscle from just beneath the skin.

Microwave Cooking Times for Fish
- Fish fillets – 5 minutes per 500g on medium-high, +50 seconds more for thicker fillets, or until flesh flakes
- Whole fish - Large – 6 minutes/750g on medium
- Whole fish – Small – 3-4 minutes on medium

Commercial Fishing for Australian Salmon:

Wild caught.

Recovery Rate
Fillets (skin on, wing off): 42% from whole Australian salmon

Australian salmon are a commercial species harvested primarily by beach seining or bottom set gillnetting.  They can also be caught using modified purse seining techniques in which fishers operate in shallow waters behind the surf line.  Large fish are also taken on trolling gear.

Relatively long-lived fish, Australian salmon are a favored target of recreational fishers, and both commercial and traditional Māori fisheries. They are also common bycatch of the snapper, mullet, trevally, and mackerel fisheries. These species are all taken in great numbers by way of purse seine nets and trawling. They are also caught by skilled fishermen along the southern coastline of Australia by beach seining. Due to declining numbers and ever-increasing annual catch sizes, the future viability of the Australian salmon stock has been put into question.

Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Australian Salmon (Arripis trutta)

Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Kahawai (Arripis trutta)

More links about Australian Salmon