Thicklip Trevally

Interesting Info

• The Thicklip Trevally (Carangoides orthogrammus), also called the Island Trevally – is a sleek, silvery-blue predator with faint golden spots and a slightly “pouted” mouth that gives it its name.
• It can grow up to 75 cm (30 in) long and weigh around 6.5 kg (14 lb), though most fish caught are between 40–60 cm (16–24 in).
• In Australia, it’s found from north-western Western Australia across the tropical north and down the east coast into New South Wales and Lord Howe Island waters.
• Worldwide, it’s distributed throughout the tropical Indo–Pacific—from East Africa and the Red Sea across India, Southeast Asia, Micronesia, and Hawaii to the central Pacific islands.
• The body is metallic silver with faint vertical bars and scattered yellowish or bronze spots, and the fins may show a soft bluish tint.
• Juveniles often form small schools in coastal lagoons and bays, while adults patrol outer reef slopes, drop-offs, and offshore seamounts.
• They feed mainly on small fishes, crustaceans, and squid—darting out from midwater schools to snatch prey with speed and precision.
• Adults can live up to about 8 years, with rapid growth during the first 3 years before slowing as they mature.
• Spawning takes place offshore, typically during warmer months. Like other trevallies, Thicklip Trevally gather in groups to release eggs and sperm into open water, letting currents carry the fertilised eggs to drift and hatch.
• Larvae and juveniles spend their early months drifting with plankton near the surface before moving into lagoons and shallow reef habitats.
• They are more commonly seen between 20–80 m (65–260 ft).
• Thicklip Trevallies are sometimes mistaken for Bluefin Trevally, but lack the vivid blue fins and have a rounder forehead and thicker lips.
• They are strong swimmers and part of the fast-moving “jack” family, which includes kingfish, amberjacks, and trevallies.