To seventy centimetres. This is a predominantly southern species which straggles north to North Cape in some numbers. It lives on clear rocky ground to depths of about one hundred and fifty metres and is confined to our waters. Probably this species and snapper are the most generalized feeders we have, for both take quantities of every food animal, whether firmly attached to rocks as are paua, or fragments of large jellyfish broken on the shore. Large examples are usually greenish blue in coloration, while smaller ones are blotched in varying shades of brown. The smoothly sloped head and snout, short low first dorsal fin and the long second dorsal fin are clear structural features. Blue cod belong to a widespread tropical family of fishes in no way related to true cods such as our red cod. A popular table and recreational fish in the southern half of the north island but more particularly in the south island. These fish are easy to catch on cut bait and are not regarded as a sportfish

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