Divefree

Fish

Blackbanded Kingfish

Seriolina nigrofasciata

A solitary, dark-backed amberjack relative of offshore reefs, its young marked with oblique bands that fade with age - and rated fine eating.

Also known as swartband- malabar

Blackbanded Kingfish
Photo: josepvilanova · CC BY-NC 4.0
Typical size
Attains 70 cm
Habitat
Solitary on offshore reefs

The blackbanded kingfish is bluish grey to black above and pale below, with a black spinous dorsal and white-tipped fin lobes. Young fish carry five to seven dark, oblique bands or blotches on the upper body that fade as they grow. It reaches about 70 cm, with a South African angling record of 5.2 kg.

Generally a solitary fish, it favours offshore reefs and is regarded as an excellent food-fish. It occurs from Algoa Bay northward and throughout the Indian Ocean.