New Zealand Yellowtail Kingfish are part of a group of kingfish found around the Southern Hemisphere, and belong to the Carangidae family.

They are blue-green dorsally with a silver belly.  A yellow-to-brass coloured strip runs along the middle of the fish from the eye to the tail.  The fins and tail are yellow.

Yellowtail Kingfish Fishery

Yellowtail Kingfish are widely distributed around the North Island and the northern South Island.  Commercially, the species is caught by trolling, set net, purse seine, or trawl, often as a by-catch.

New Zealand's Yellowtail Kingfish fishery is managed by strict quotas, which allow only a set amount of Yellowtail Kingfish to be taken commercially each year. This Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) was set at 200 metric tonnes for the 2009/10 fishing year.

Yellowtail Kingfish Meat Quality

Yellowtail Kingfish fillets are firm and hold their shape and are dark but lighten on cooking.  Their flesh has a low oil content and can be improved by bleeding after capture.

For meal ideas using Yellowtail Kingfish, check out recipes on the Greatest Meal on Earth website.