Temperate Scad

Interesting Info

• The Temperate Scad is a slim, silvery schooling fish with a bluish-green back and a faint yellow line along its side.
• It can reach up to 50 cm (19.7 in) and weigh about 1 kg (2.2 lb), though most fish are smaller at 20–35 cm (8–14 in).
• In Australia it is found in southern waters, from Rockingham to north-west of Shark Bay in Western Australia, and from Fish Rock to Bawley Point in New South Wales. It also occurs around Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.
• Globally it is widespread in the Indo–West Pacific—common around Japan, China, and Korea, extending through the Pacific Islands, the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and as far as Easter Island. It also occurs in the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California down to Peru.
• They form enormous midwater schools, sometimes numbering in the thousands, flashing silver as they move in unison.
• The species lives from the surface down to around 320 m (1,050 ft), but is most common between 50–150 m (165–490 ft).
• Temperate Scad feed on tiny planktonic animals, small crustaceans, and fish larvae, filtering food as they swim.
• Spawning occurs offshore, with eggs and larvae drifting in open water before juveniles move to coastal nurseries.
• They are short-lived, usually around 3–4 years, but grow quickly in their first year to avoid predators.
• These scad are a key prey species for tuna, mackerel, seabirds, and dolphins.
• Divers and snorkellers may spot them as shimmering walls of fish in deep bays and channels, though they are less often seen close to shallow reefs.