Facts: The Giant Trevally

The giant trevally is a large marine predator in the jack family. They are abundant in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, such as areas around Australia and New Zealand. They are also found off East Africa and around the Hawaiian Islands. Their depth range is typically between 30 and 600 feet deep. Adults may be found solitary or in schools. Juveniles occur in small schools over sandy inshore areas. Giant trevallies have forked tails. The base of the tail is reinforced by specially strengthened scales called scutes. In juveniles, the fins are yellow. Giant trevallies are typically associated with coral reef communities. Since they are large, aggressive predators, they are important top level carnivores in reef systems. Adults and juveniles feed during the day on animals like fish, cephalopods, birds, and crustaceans. Adults mature at around 3 to 4 years of age. They gather on shallow seaward reefs and offshore banks to spawn. Juveniles have a wide tolerance of salinity and sometimes occur in estuaries. They are estimated to live 20 to 30 years. They can grow up to 67 inches long. Giant trevallies are important to commercial and recreational fisheries, along with aquaculture. They are strong game fish and known to put on a fight when fished for sport. There are mixed opinions about the quality of their meat because it is known to sometimes cause ciguatera poisoning. For more marine facts, click the SUBSCRIBE button!!