Maori Wrasse

[Stanfo]

One a recent fishing trip my dad and I caught some unual reef fish which was later identified as a Maori Wrasse. The wrasse(about 30cm long) was thrown back because we didnt know the legal length. does any one know the legal length for Maori Wrasse in NSW?

[spikey]

hey mate there is no legal limit on maori wrasse... but all fish with no bag limit there is a bag limit of 20pp. i love eating maori wrasse alot of ppl think they are rubbish fish. but they are very sweet!

[shefford]

Weird we are not allowed to keep them in Qld, they are protected.

Gogo fish stocks

[spikey]

there are 2 type of maori wrasse thou.. the 1 in NSW is a small fish also known as a butchers %%%%% calls its so slimy and hard 2 grab.. not that ive ever grabbed 1 2 know haha. but this fish doesnt grow large at all.. never more then .8kg or so.. is a red fish with a white belly and brilliant blue lines under its chin. where as the maori wrasseis Qld is a huge blue fish.. dont know 2 much else about it as ive never caught 1.. yet anyway hahaha

[shefford]

Yep your right just looked up the species in my fishing book, qld/nsw have quiet a few different names for things.

That being said.

GO QUEENSLAND

[spikey]

haha. u sure its us who has the weird names???

ps might i remind u of game 1 in the origin???

[Stanfo]

Thanks guys, will keep a few next time. One more thing

GO THE BLUES

Edited May 29, 2008 by Stanfo

[Dreamtime]

there are 2 type of maori wrasse thou.. the 1 in NSW is a small fish a red fish with a white belly and brilliant blue lines under its chin. where as the maori wrasseis Qld is a huge blue fish..

Here's a few pics just to confuse you even more

Cheers

Mariner

A Tripletail Maori Wrasse caught on hook and line at a depth of 2 m, near Ningaloo Reef Marina, Western Australia, September 2007. Photo © M. Ashbil.

The Tripletail Maori Wrasse is greenish to brownish with a vertical red and green line on each scale. The head and thorax have orange-red dots and irregular lines. There is a white band on the caudal peduncle and another on the base of the caudal fin. The caudal fin of males is rounded with elongate upper and lower lobes.

It grows to about 45 cm in length.The Tripletail Maori Wrasse feeds mainly on small fishes.The species occurs in tropical inshore and coral reef waters of the Indo-west and Central Pacific.In Australia it is known from off central to north-western Western Australia and northern Queensland to northern New South Wales.

Redbreasted Maori Wrasse at Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, December 2000.

The Redbreasted Maori Wrasse can be recognised by its distinctive colouration. The body has six to seven white vertical bars on a red-brown background. The area around the pectoral fin is yellow to orange. The bodies of large males are almost black, with white vertical bars and red colouration on the front of the body and operculum. This species grows to 36cm in length. It has dorsal and anal fins that are pointed posteriorly.

The Redbreasted Maori Wrasse is found throughout the tropical Indo-west Pacific. In Australia it is recorded off north-western Western Australia and on the Great Barrier Reef and offshore islands of Queensland

A Humphead Maori Wrasse at a depth of 2 m, photographed through a glass window at ‘Marine World’ off Cairns, Queensland, March 2005. Photo © John A. Long ARPS.

Adult Humphead Maori Wrasse have a relatively deep body, a rounded caudal fin and a hump on the forehead. The fish is green with wavy lines on the body and two lines behind both eyes. The species name 'undulatus' comes from the Latin for 'waved' or 'wavy'. Larval specimens look very different It is the largest species in the family Labridae, growing to 2.3 m in length and 190 kg.The Humphead Maori Wrasse feeds on molluscs, fishes, sea urchins, crustaceans and other invertebrates. This species occurs in inshore waters and on coral reefs in tropical waters of the Indo-West and Central Pacific. Larger individuals are usually seen on steep outer reef slopes at depths between 10 m and 100 m.

In Australia it is known from the offshore reefs of north-western Western Australia and the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

It has also been called the Blue-tooth Groper, Giant Wrasse and Napoleon Wrasse.

An adult male Maori Wrasse at a depth of 6m, Gordon's Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, February 1999.

A 4 cm long juvenile Maori Wrasse at a depth of 8 m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales, June 2004.

The Maori Wrasse grows to 47cm in length. The Maori Wrasse can be recognised by its colour pattern and shape. It is an elongate fish that changes colour pattern with age and sex. Juveniles and females are red-orange above and red-orange to white below. Mature males develop a black stripe along the sides, blue spots on each of the body scales, and blue scribbles on the head. This species is endemic to Australia. It occurs from southern Queensland, around the south of the country to south-western Western Australia. It inhabits coastal rocky reefs. In warmer parts of its distribution, this inquisitive species is often seen in shallow water. In cooler, more southerly areas it is found at greater depths, sometimes down to 60 m.

A Twospot Maori Wrasse at a depth of 5 m, Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, NSW, February 2004.

The Twospot Maori Wrasse can be recognised by its colouration and caudal fin shape. Females have a rounded caudal fin, while males have a rhomboid shaped caudal fin with an extended upper lobe.

This species is brownish, often with white spots above and pale below. There is a dark brown blotch above the pectoral fin that is sometimes followed by three less obvious blotches. Orange lines radiate from the eye.

It grows to 15 cm in length. This species occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West and Central Pacific. It is most commonly found on rubbly and algae covered seabeds from the shallows to about 100 m in depth. In Australia it is known from Scott Reef off north-western Western Australia and the northern Great Barrier Reef, south to southern New South Wales.

A Cheeklined Maori Wrasse at a depth of 10 m, Mantis Reef, Wreck Bay, far northern Great Barrier Reef, December 1999

A Cheeklined Maori Wrasse at a depth of 8 m, Charlie's Reef, west of Castaway Resort, Mamanuca Islands, Fiji, April 2004

The Cheeklined Maori Wrasse can be recognised by its colouration. It is grey-brown to green or red with an orange-red to pinkish mark on each scale. There are orange to pink lines above the eye and about eight purplish to pink lines crossing the cheek. This species grows to 30 cm in length. It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific. In Australia it is known from the offshore islands of north-western Australia and from the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

A juvenile Blackmargin Maori Wrasse at a depth of 5 m, Horseshoe Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. Thank you to J. Randall (BPBM) for assistance with identifying this fish.

The Blackmargin Maori Wrasse can be recognised by its colouration. Adults are reddish with four irregular white bands on the upper sides of the body. The species name nigromarginatus comes from Latin and refers to the black margin of caudal fin of adults. It grows to at least 16 cm in standard length. This species occurs in tropical and subtropical waters of the south-west Pacific. It is found on coral reefs and inshore rock reefs.

In Australia it is known from the northern Great Barrier Reef and Camp Cove, Sydney Harbour.