Silver gemfish (Rexea solandri)

Scientific name: Rexea solandri Cuvier, 1832

Silver gemfish (Rexea solandri)

The Silver gemfish (Rexea solandri) is a marine fish of the family Gempylidae.

Biology

Found in schools on continental shelf and slope. They are normally caught close to the sea bed but probably move into midwater at times. Juveniles are pelagic, adults also occur near the surface off Tasmania and New Zealand. Dense schools of pre-spawners migrate along the continental slope at about 400 m during winter. Feed on fish, squid and crustaceans. The flesh is of good edible quality and especially tasty when smoked. In Australia, the eastern gemfish stock has been subjected to a prolonged period of poor recruitment which started in 1989. This event resulted in a very significant decline in the gemfish resource. In Australia, efforts are now being channeled towards the recovery of the fishery.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Rexea solandri
Family
Gempylidae (Snake mackerels)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
110
Depth range
100–800 m (328–2625 ft)
Environment
Marine; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 100 - 800 m, usually 300 - 450 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
Southwest Pacific: off southern, southwestern and southeastern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Occurrence records from Madagascar and Japan need to be verified.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.15-0.21; tm=3-6; tmax=16; Fec=500,000)

Sources

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

Last updated