Samsonfish

Interesting Info

• The Samsonfish is a huge, muscular member of the jack family, famous for its raw power and legendary fights on rod and reel.
• It can reach about 175 cm (5.7 ft) in length and weigh over 53 kg (116 lb), though most caught are much smaller, between 5–20 kg.
• In Australia it is widespread in southern and temperate waters—from Moreton Bay in Queensland, through New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia, to Shark Bay in Western Australia. It also occurs around Norfolk Island and northern New Zealand.
• Outside Australia it has been reported in parts of the Indian Ocean and South-west Pacific, but its stronghold is clearly in southern Australian seas.
• Samsonfish have a deep, elongated body with a bluish-green to grey back, silver sides, and faint vertical bars that fade in large adults.
• Juveniles often live in bays and estuaries, while adults roam offshore reefs, wrecks, pylons, and deep coastal slopes.
• They are fierce predators, feeding on pilchards, mackerel, squid, and other schooling fish.
• Divers may see them cruising in small groups or massive schools numbering in the hundreds.
• In summer, giant spawning schools form off South and Western Australia, sometimes in the thousands—walls of silver muscle filling the sea.
• Tagging studies show they can migrate hundreds of kilometres between feeding and spawning grounds.
• Juveniles sometimes shelter beneath floating seaweed or even jellyfish to escape predators.
• They can live more than 30 years, making them one of the longest-lived members of the jack family.
• Samsonfish are often mistaken for Yellowtail Kingfish, but they are bulkier, with a steeper head profile and less forked tail.
• Anglers often call them “Sambo freight trains” because of their unstoppable power.