Snoek (Thyrsites atun)

Scientific name: Thyrsites atun Euphrasen, 1791

Snoek (Thyrsites atun)

The Snoek (Thyrsites atun) is a brackish-water fish of the family Gempylidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 13–18°C (55–64°F).

Snoek care at a glance

Temperature
13–18°C (55–64°F)

Biology

Inhabit continental shelves or around islands. Feed on pelagic crustaceans (Euphausia, Nyctiphanes), cephalopods and fishes like anchovy and pilchard. Form schools near the bottom or midwater; sometimes even at the surface at night. Prefers temperature between 13? and 18?C. Marketed fresh, smoked, canned and frozen; eaten fried, broiled, microwaved and baked. Good for fish and chips or smoking; also made into fillet or fish cake in Japan.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Thyrsites atun
Family
Gempylidae (Snake mackerels)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
200
Common length
75.0
Depth range
0–550 m (0–1804 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 550 m, usually 100 - 500 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Southwest Atlantic: Uruguay, Argentina and Tierra del Fuego. Eastern Atlantic: Tristan da Cunha and South Africa. Western Indian Ocean: South Africa and the St. Paul and Amsterdam islands. Eastern Indian Ocean: Tasmania and southern coast of Australia. Southwest Pacific: New Zealand and southern coast of Australia. Southeast Pacific: southern Peru, Chile, and Tierra del Fuego.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-4; tmax=10)

Sources

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

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