Yellowtail horse mackerel

The yellowtail horse mackerel (Trachurus novaezelandiae), also known as yakka, is a jack in the family Carangidae found around Australia and New Zealand at depths to 500 m.

Its length is up to 50 centimetres (20 in).

The fish is sometimes called yellowtail scad, but this more commonly refers to Atule mate.

Distribution

Adult yellowtail horse mackerels are found in coastal waters and estuaries, showing a preference for waters less than 150 metres (490 ft) deep and no cooler than 13 °C (55 °F). They are frequently encountered on the bottom or in midwater but are only infrequently recorded near the surface, they occur in large schools. Adults are normally recorded over rocky reefs just offshore while the juveniles prefer waters with shallow, soft substrates.

Behaviour

The yellowtail scad is a pelagic predator that takes a variety of small plankton and fish. The species exhibits two different feeding patterns during different stages of life, with the juveniles between 91 and 150 mm feeding mainly on crustaceans while adults over 151 mm prey almost exclusively on small fish.