Information briefs and risk analyses for species under consideration ...

JAVELINFISH
Species: Lepidorhynchus denticulatus
Common Name: Javelinfish
Species code: JAV
Stock area: 1-10
Biological information
Morphology, growth, reproduction and recruitment
1 Javelinfish is a rattail species that grows to a maximum total length of 55cm. Very
little is known about the growth, reproduction or recruitment of javelin fish.
Image provided by NIWA
Spatial and temporal distribution and key areas (feeding, spawning,
migration)
2 Javelinfish is a bathypelagic, non-migratory species found in depths ranging from
180 – 1000m in the eastern Indian Ocean and Southwest Pacific – primarily southern
Australia and New Zealand. It is very widely distributed within the EEZ with areas of
local abundance (e.g. Chatham Rise).
Habitat interactions
3 No information is available.
Associated species (bycatch and target)
4 Javelinfish is taken as bycatch in a large number of fisheries targeting QMS species
but primarily in the hoki and scampi fisheries. Analysis of observer data from 1999-
2003 showed that javelinfish contributed nearly 2% to the total catch weight in the
hoki fishery and was the fourth most common bycatch species by weight. 1 Javelinfish
1 Anderson, O.F.; Smith, M.H. (2004). Fish discards and non-target fish catch in the New Zealand hoki trawl
fishery, 1999-2000 to 2002-03. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2005/03. 37 p.
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