Salmon

Arripis truttacea


General
What Do They Look Like
Where Are They Found
Life Cycle
Feeding Habits
Commercial Fishing
Recreational Fishing
Catch Limits & Legal Lengths



General

The Australian salmon is a sea perch, of the family Arripidae, and is not related to the true salmon of the family Salmonidae.

There are two species of Australian salmon found in Australian waters, the western species and the eastern species.
 salmon


The western species (Arripis truttacea) of the Australian salmon occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. It differs from the eastern species (Arripis trutta) found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in that it has a lesser number of gill rakers.


What do they look like?


Australian salmon are olive green to steel blue with small dark spots on the back and upper sides, and pale yellow-green to silvery white below. The pectoral fins are bright yellow. Juveniles (often called ‘salmon trout’) are silvery white with several rows of large golden or brown spots on the back and sides.


Where are they found?


Australian salmon generally inhabit coastal waters including estuaries, bays and inlets but also traverse deep water to the edge of the continental shelf, and have been caught at depths to 80 metres. They school in shallow, open coastal waters, and can move over reefs in depths just sufficient to cover their bodies.

Juvenile Australian salmon are found over soft substrates in shallow and sheltered coastal waters. They are often found over seagrass beds and in mangrove lined creeks. They can tolerate temperature and salinity extremes, such as those found in the gulfs and the Coorong. Larger fish that move into exposed coastal waters, such as around rocky headlands, near reefs and in the surf zone.


Life cycle


Research suggests that the only spawning area for the western species is in southern Western Australia and that they spawn from March to late April. Juveniles are carried eastwards from Western Australian waters on the Leeuwin Current, a low salinity tropical water mass generated in early winter. Juveniles arrive in South Australian nursery areas during July to September. Nursery areas for Australian salmon include sheltered embayments such as the Coorong, sheltered embayments of the States west coast, and northern and central areas of the gulfs.

In some years, large numbers of juveniles are also found in Western Australian waters and contribute to the spawning population.

The life cycle is completed when maturing salmon migrate back to Western Australian waters. There is still, however, quantities of older fish in South Australian waters which remain along the southern and western ocean beaches, for example Waitpinga, Brown’s Beach and Lock’s Well.

Australian salmon mature at ages from three to six years, when they are around 70cm in length and 5kg in weight. They reach a maximum age of about nine years and can grow as long as 90cm and as heavy as 10.5kg.


Feeding Habits


Juveniles feed in shallow water, often above seagrass beds and eat shrimps, sea worms and small fish. After a year or more in these nursery areas, the salmon move to more exposed coasts. Associated with the shift in habitat is a change in diet, which includes pilchards and other herring-like fishes. Salmon form large schools behind the surf zone, between feeding bouts offshore.


Commercial Fishing


Australian salmon landed in South Australia, supply a small fresh fish market, the rock lobster industry (as bait) and interstate canneries or pet food manufacturers, depending on demand. In South Australia, the fish are caught in the surf zone using carrier vessels and modified purse seine nets, assisted by a spotter aircraft, or by beach seine nets. A commercial catch quota has been set to allow sufficient adult fish to escape to the spawning area, and to allow equitable access to the resource by recreational fishers. A minimum legal size limit of 21cm also applies.


Recreational Fishing


Shore based anglers regard Australian salmon as a premier salt-water sport fish. The legal minimum length of Australian salmon is set at 21cm so that most fish will have the chance to spawn.


Catch Limits & Legal Lengths



Minimum legal length: 21 cm measured from tip of snout to tip of tail salmon

For salmon 21 cm to 35 cm:
Personal daily bag limit: 20
Daily boat limit: 60

For salmon longer than 35 cm:
Personal daily bag limit: 10
Daily boat limit: 30
TAKE CARE: Juvenile salmon and Tommy ruffs can look similar. Make sure you know how to tell them apart and release undersize juvenile salmon back to the water.
 
Unique markings of Salmon and Tommy Ruff

Eyes
 Scales
 Fin
 Tail
Juvenile Salmon
 small
 smooth
 yellow
 yellow
Tommy ruff
 large
 rough
 clear/silver
 silver, black tips