Javelin grunter (Pomadasys kaakan)

Scientific name: Pomadasys kaakan Cuvier, 1830

The Javelin grunter (Pomadasys kaakan) is a brackish-water fish of the family Haemulidae. Native range: Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea and east coast of Africa to southeast Asia, north to Taiwan, south to Queensland, Australia.

Biology

Inhabit turbid inshore waters with sandy to muddy bottoms to a depth of 75 m. Enter estuaries, may tolerate water with low salinity. Often associated with inshore wrecks. Feed on crustaceans and fish. Spawners form shoals near river mouths during the winter. Good food fish.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Pomadasys kaakan
Family: Haemulidae (Grunts)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 80.0
Common length: 50.0
Depth range: 75 m (246 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range ? - 75 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and east coast of Africa to southeast Asia, north to Taiwan, south to Queensland, Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.25-0.57)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026