Indian Scad

Interesting Info

• The Indian Scad is a slim, fast schooling fish with a shiny silver body, bluish-green back, and a golden-yellow stripe down its side.
• It can grow up to about 45 cm (18 in) long, though most fish are much smaller, commonly around 25–30 cm (10–12 in).
• The maximum recorded weight is about 110 g, making it a lightweight compared to other trevallies and jacks.
• In Australia, it occurs mainly along the tropical north, including waters off Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland, especially in the Arafura Sea.
• Globally it ranges widely across the Indo–West Pacific, from East Africa and the Red Sea to India, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, and it even extends into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
• A black spot on the gill cover helps tell Indian Scad apart from other scad species.
• They school in huge numbers in coastal waters, flashing silver as they dart and turn together.
• They feed on tiny plankton, small crustaceans, and fish larvae, filtering prey from the water as they swim.
• Spawning happens offshore, with eggs and larvae drifting in the plankton before juveniles move closer to shore.
• Most Indian Scad grow quickly but live only 2–3 years.
• They are an important food source for tuna, mackerel, seabirds, and dolphins.
• Divers and snorkellers may spot shimmering schools racing along reef edges or in coastal bays.