Divefree

Fish

Golden Kingfish

Gnathanodon speciosus

A striking silver-gold trevally with dark bars, cruising KwaZulu-Natal reefs and often following larger animals.

Also known as golden trevally, goudkingvis, kingfish golden, kingfish(golden)

Golden Kingfish
Photo: Kirby Morejohn · CC BY-NC 4.0
Typical size
Commonly 40-80 cm
Habitat
Reefs, harbours and sandy lagoons
Depth
Surface to about 80 m

The golden kingfish, or golden trevally, is unmistakable as a juvenile, bright yellow-gold crossed with bold black bars, a colour that fades to silvery with faint barring in adults. It is a member of the trevally family but has rubbery, toothless jaws that it uses to root prey out of sand and reef.

Along the KwaZulu-Natal coast it schools over reefs, in harbours and around jetties, and juveniles famously shadow sharks, rays and larger fish for protection. It is a strong, dogged fighter on rod and line and a prized light-tackle target. Good eating, though larger reef-associated fish carry a low ciguatera risk in tropical areas.