Ocean Jacket
(Nelusetta ayraud)

Ocean Jacket (Nelusetta ayraud) or leather jackets (aka kawahagi) is the largest species of Leatherjacket of southern Australia that can reach 700 mm in length.  It is a demersal, schooling species that is distributed from central Queensland southwards, along the southern coastline and continental shelf and then up to the central coast of Western Australia. The species occurs across a wide depth range from very shallow to >350 m, due to off-shore movement associated with ontogenetic development. The juvenile Ocean Jackets occur in shallow, coastal bays whilst the adults are located over flat, sandy bottom in offshore, continental shelf waters >60 m in. Stock structure throughout the broad distribution is unknown, but must be influenced by off-shore, ontogenetic migration, and the capacity of adults for significant long-distance movement. The Ocean Jacket is a dichromatic species of leatherjacket that is fast-growing and short lived, as determined from ageing work from rings in vertebrae. Most fish from the commercial fishery were 3 – 6 years of age, whilst the oldest male was seven years and oldest female was nine years old. Reproductive maturity was attained from 2 – 4 years of age, associated with size-at-first maturity of 310 mm, and corresponded with the timing of off-shore migration. In South Australia, spawning occurs in April and early May in waters >85 m depth in off-shore waters.

Source:  Assessment of the South Australian Marine Scalefish Fishery in 2018.  Report by PIRSA

Sustainability

South Australia – Sustainable