Leatherjacket

How to identify leatherjacket

A deep, oval, side-flattened fish with tough leathery skin covered in tiny spines that feel like velvet or sandpaper. A single strong spine sits above the eye and folds down into a groove, giving a horned look when raised. The body is greenish-grey, plain or mottled, often with dark blotches and bars running down from the eye, and the fins are orange. Males are more uniform and have a yellow tail with a thin dark bar near its edge; females and young fish are more mottled. The mouth is small, with strong teeth.

Where it lives in New Zealand

Leatherjackets are found around much of New Zealand but are most common in the north. They live near rocky reefs, weed beds and rough seafloor, sometimes over sand or in midwater, from the shallows to beyond 100 m, and are most abundant at 40 to 60 m. They do not school but often move in small groups. Males defend territories, and eggs are laid in nests on the seafloor in spring and summer.

How to catch it

Leatherjackets are seldom caught on rod and line. Their small mouths let them strip bait from hooks without being hooked, which made them unpopular with early fishers. Most recreational catch comes from spearfishing, craypots and set nets. Anglers who target them use small hooks and baits fished close to weedy reef.

Eating

Leatherjacket has firm, very white flesh that suits most cooking methods. The tough skin is removed before cooking, and fish are usually sold headed and skinned. That processed product is sold as creamfish, a trade name adopted to help sales.

Good to know

Managed under the Quota Management System since 2003. Leatherjackets live to at least 7 years and mature at about two years and 19 to 22 cm. Rough and smooth leatherjackets were once thought to be separate species but are now treated as one species with variable colouring. They also occur in southern Australia.

Questions

Is leatherjacket good eating?

Yes. Leatherjacket has firm, very white flesh that suits most cooking methods. Remove the tough skin before cooking. Commercially the fish is usually sold headed and skinned, under the trade name creamfish.

What is creamfish?

Creamfish is the trade name for leatherjacket that has been headed and skinned. The name was adopted to help sales. Under the tough skin the flesh is firm and very white, and it can be cooked most ways.

Why are leatherjackets hard to catch?

Their small mouths let them strip bait from a hook without getting hooked. Anglers who target them use small hooks and small baits fished close to weedy reef. Most recreational catch comes from spearfishing, craypots and set nets.