Snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in Hong Kong. It is mainly found over reef, coral, rocky, sand, mud, at depths of 1–7 m. The main season in Hong Kong runs spring, summer, autumn.
Scientific name: Trachinotus blochii · Water: Saltwater, Brackish · Season: Spring, Summer, Autumn
Size: up to 110 cm
Weight: up to 3.4 kg
The snubnose pompano is a carangid of shallow reef, coral, rock, sand and mud ground from 1 to 7 m. The juveniles live over sandy shorelines and in shallow bays near river mouths, while the adults move out in schools to clear seaward reefs, where they are usually solitary and feed on sand molluscs and other hard-shelled invertebrates. Its range is the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Marshall Islands and Samoa, north to southern Japan and south to Australia. Maximum length is about 110 cm fork length, commonly about 40 cm, and it can weigh about 3.4 kg. It is taken by minor commercial fishing, is commercially farmed, is a game fish and appears in public aquariums. Trophic level is 3.8, fishing vulnerability high at 62 of 100, and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern. It is in season in spring, summer and autumn. Large individuals carry a ciguatera risk in some areas.
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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