Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, sand, estuary, at depths of 10–188 m. The main season in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, United States runs all year.
Scientific name: Caranx ignobilis · Water: Saltwater, Brackish · Season: All year · Also known as: Giant Trevally (GT)
Size: up to 170 cm
Weight: up to 80 kg
The Giant trevally is the largest member of the genus Caranx - deep-bodied and silvery, with mature males turning nearly black, and sexual maturity at about 60 cm and three years of age. Its range is the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa to the Hawaiian and Marquesan islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands and south to northern Australia. It goes by many names: Taiwan calls it the bull trevally, Malaysia the wanderer trevally, and Hawaii knows it almost exclusively as ulua, usually with the prefixes black, white or giant. Juveniles and subadults favour sheltered inshore bays, estuaries and mangroves, while older fish move to seaward reefs, bomboras and drop-offs and are often found deeper than 80 m. An apex predator, it patrols alone or in small groups and feeds at night on crabs, spiny lobsters and fish. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia have it all year; in the United States it is a spring-to-autumn fish, because it spawns over reefs and bays only in the warmer months. Shore anglers cast plugs and poppers, which Hawaii calls whipping, and boat crews use jigs and poppers. Its power is exceptional, with bursts of tens of metres straight for the reef or shaking the hook, making it the benchmark heavy-tackle sportfish of the region. It reaches about 170 cm and 80 kg. Hawaii lands some 10,000 lb a year, with numbers around the main islands now in decline. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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