Brassy Trevally

Interesting Info

• The Brassy Trevally is a sleek, fast jack with a brassy-golden sheen that glimmers under sunlight.
• It can grow up to 88 cm (2.9 ft) long and weigh around 6.4 kg (14 lb), but most caught are closer to 40–60 cm (1.3–2 ft).
• In Australia it is found mainly in northern waters, from Shark Bay in Western Australia across the tropical north to Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef.
• Worldwide, it ranges across the Indo–West Pacific—from the Red Sea and East Africa through Southeast Asia, Micronesia, and Melanesia, north to southern Japan, and east to Fiji and Samoa.
• Brassy Trevallies are named for their shimmering golden–green body colour, often brighter in juveniles and fading with age.
• They often gather in small schools around reefs, drop-offs, and lagoons, though adults may hunt alone in deeper water.
• Juveniles are commonly seen in sheltered coastal bays, mangroves, and estuaries before moving offshore as they grow.
• Their diet includes fish, prawns, and squid, which they ambush with bursts of speed.
• Divers and snorkellers may spot them flashing past in golden-bronze streaks, sometimes mixed with other trevally species.
• They can live over 10 years, with fast growth in the first few years helping them avoid predators.
• Spawning takes place offshore in tropical waters, with eggs and larvae drifting as plankton before settling in shallow nurseries.
• The species is sometimes mistaken for other trevallies, like the Bigeye Trevally, but its brassy-golden sides and slightly blunter head help identify it.