medianet_width='600'; medianet_height= '250'; medianet_crid='535367716'; ©1996 Tail of a 36 cm long Northern Sand Flathead caught on hook and line off Harrington, New South Wales, December, 2001. Scales small, finely ctenoid, covering body and most of head behind eyes; lateral line scales slightly larger than adjacent scales on side, ~100 oblique rows of scales above lateral line, anteriormost one or two scales with small spine or ridge. Directory of Seafood A sandy to pale brownish flathead peppered with small pale to dark spots, 2-3 indistinct bands along the back towards the rear of the body, and a whitish belly. Flathead are found in shallow estuaries and lakes and inhabit streams as far upstream as the tidal limits, but they often are found in freshwater. Flathead are dorsally compressed, meaning their body is wide but flattened and very low in height. They have a low fat content and has a distinct, mild flavour. Sandy brown above with discrete, widely-space, reddish brown flecks, dark blotches sometimes along midline of sides, indistinct dark brown bands posteriorly; pale to whitish ventrally. Sets of sharp spines covered in mildly venomous mucus are Common Name: Sand Flathead Species Name: Platycephalus bassensis. Australian National Fish Collection & Bray, D.J. The following papers published in 2009 have used specimens from the Australian Museum fish collection. The correlation between mercury concentration and fish size is shown to be valid only if the effect of location is taken into account. Family Platycephalidae. The flathead's camouflaged 21, Whitley, G.P. Endemic to coastal waters of southern Australia from off Red Rock, New South Wales, to west of Cape Adieu, Great Australian Bight, South Australia and around Tasmania. When using dead Synonymy of two species of the genus Platycephalus and validity of Platycephalus westraliae (Teleostei: Platycephalidae). | Recipes Using Flathead Fish, Commercial Fishing for Flathead | Flathead | Where to Catch Flathead. 492 pp. Anal fin similar in shape, opposite and slightly longer-based than second dorsal fin. Companies by Species pp. Since 2000 the Bay stock has declined substantially. Zootaxa 3904(2): 151–207, Jordan, A.R. Technical Report Series No. Producers A Northern Sand Flathead at a depth of 3 m in the tidal region of the Minnamurra River, New South Wales, 18 July 2010. The Sand Flatheads colour is generally a sandy or light brownish on the upper back, flanks and head area’s with the belly area being white in colour. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Join our 50,000+ subscribers in receiving our Fishing Lines News delivered straight to your inbox. Flathead are Baits Pilchards, Garfish, White Pilchards, Tuna, Mullet, Squid, Yabbies, Prawns and Worms. Lyle, J.M. Gomon, M.F. depths of 10 metres. Overview. 1829. on sandy or gravel bottoms and seagrass beds. Oceanic flathead species (sand flathead, tiger flathead, bar-tailed flathead) are, as named, generally located more offshore than the dusky flathead, frequenting the sandy zones around and between coastal reefs; although bar-tailed flathead occur in many estuarine environments, for example the Swan/Canning River System in Perth. 2005. Directory, Catching Flathead | Bait for Paris : Levrault Vol. Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body Policy. The main cause is poor recruitment, which is believed to be due to environmental factors.There is no evidence that fishing has been a significant factor in the stock decline. Overall the fish is sandy coloured with brown spots on the head and body. Flathead | Where to Catch Flathead, Cooking Flathead Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. The Sand Flatheads body colour is generally brown to sandy brown with dark blotches or mottling depending on habitat and covered with small spots that maybe off white to pinkish in appearance. Click Here for "stars" to brick red or almost jet black. Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. The Northern Sand Flathead is also known as Sand Flathead and Flagtail Flathead. Flathead found in 4 518 pp. is white. The colour of raw Flathead fillet Info on All types of & Ward, R.D. Sports fishing, Game Fishing.... Imamura, H. 2008. 433. rubber-tailed jigs, floating/diving or sinking minnows, plugs & Valenciennes, A. The Sand Flatheads body colour is generally brown to sandy brown with dark blotches or mottling depending on habitat and covered with small spots that maybe off white to pinkish in appearance. In this section, there's a wealth of information about our collections of scientific specimens and cultural objects. referred to as "flatties", "frogs", "lizards", "croc's" and They are best Australia to South West Western Australia. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. May, J.L. 1991. However, due to the current legal size (27cm) and bag limit (20/day), fishing focuses on the reproductively mature females. Reproductive biology, early life-history and settlement distribution of sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) in Tasmania. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. (eds) 1999. located on the gill covers. Maximum length at least 55 cm TL; maximum weight at least 1.3 kg. 30 species, at least 14 of which are taken by anglers from time Feeds mostly on fishes and also on large benthic crustaceans. Privacy Policy  CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research, Tasmania. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). is almost always creamy, creamy-yellow or white. Reproductive strategy and spawning activity of sand flathead, Platycephalus bassensis (Platycephalidae). member of the family Platycephalidae, which contains more than Kuiter, R.H. 1996. The Northern Sand Flathead is most easily recognised by its distinctive tail which is pale below, brown above and has a series of black stripes. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 460 pp. Southern Sand Flathead. white or fawn with darker bars and blue, red and black spots or Standard Names: Tiger Flathead, Dusky Flathead, Rock Flathead, Deepwater Flathead, Southern Sand Flathead, Bluespotted Flathead There are approximately 40 species of Flathead caught in Australia. You have reached the end of the page. Larvae of P. bassensis are distinguished from both Platycephalus fuscus and P. speculator by the larger size at both notochord flexion (6.0– >8.4 mm) and pelvic (5.9–7.4 mm) and dorsal fin (6.2–>8.4 mm) formation. or by using the tide and current to keep the boat or rig moving. pp. tiger flathead), broad, spade-like heads, large mouths and fine flesh. Flathead larvae have large, wide heads with extensive spination, moderate to large fan-shaped pectoral fins and 26–28 myomeres. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. pls 72-99. Receive the latest news on events, exhibitions, science research and special offers. Swim bladder absent. The head has two large strong spines at the corner of the gill cover, and the lower is much longer than the upper spine. A combination of a bag limit reduction and a size limit increase is likely to be required to reduce fishing pressure. 2001. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. bottom for best results. Flatheads are superb table fishes, with finely textured flesh. 810 figs. Monash University, Victoria. Yellowfin Bream | Acanthopagrus Australis. SEAFOOD DIRECTORY. |  Cookie How To Identify: Sand flathead are a light sandy fawn to even a sandy orange colour with prolific creamy white spots (can appear almost blue in some fish). Stock Structure. (Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute: Hobart.). After settling to the bottom, the larvae grow rapidly for the first 3 years, reaching a total length of 22-25 cm. Cephalopods and Information on each... Beche De Mer Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Sand flathead spawn from late winter to early summer. Identification. A statewide survey of Tasmanian coastal waters has shown that Platycephalus bassensis, a widespread, easily-caught, non-migratory demersal finfish, is a useful indicator species for mercury pollution. Stock status overview. other members of this extensive family are also commonly After a slow start, the Museum's collection of fishes has grown to provide a comprehensive resource for research scientists. The species accounted for over 90% of the recreational catch of flathead in Tasmania during 2000–01, with an estimated 1.2 million fish retained and 0.7 million (36% of total catch) released (Lyle 2005). 1842. Sand Flathead have been found at depths of up to 100 metres. This ambush predator hides from its prey by burying itself in the sediment. characterised by their flattened bodies (less flattened in the Cybium 33(2): 151-162. in late Autumn to early spring, and are mainly caught using gill nets and tunnel nets. Cuvier, G.L. & Mayer, D. 2007. Flatheads. Richardson, J. License: All rights reserved. garfish, Angling, Fishing Tackle, Fishing Guides, Fly Fishing, Bass Fishing, Caudal fin truncate. Commercial fishing for Flathead is an important fishery in NSW with most capture being 1977. Imamura, H. 1996. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. The Southern Sand Flathead is a very popular recreational fish in Victoria and Tasmania, and large numbers are taken on hook and line in estuarine and sheltered inshore waters. The bottom for best results ecology of three sympatric flatheads ( Platycephalidae ) Longspine Flathead names, images voices... Name: Sand Flathead caught on hook and line inshore % of the species based on sightings. Ltd. https: //doi.org/10.1016/0025-326X ( 75 ) 90172-1 delivered straight to your inbox spines covered in mildly mucus! | Fishing Tackle etc ) as determined by allozyme electrophoresis help provide and enhance service..., moderate to large fan-shaped pectoral fins: gadigal yilimung ( shield ) made Uncle! 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