Common Name: Rock Blackfish

Distribution: Common throughout the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed through the Southwest Pacific: Australia and New Zealand. Recorded from the east coast of Australia, southern Queensland to north eastern Tasmania, also from Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents areas of high water movement around headlands rocky outcrops and offshore islands. Juveniles found in estuaries, particularly in seagrass areas. Depth to 25 m.

Additional Notes: Stout body, very dark brown to bluish black, including fins. Usually secretive during the day, may be observed by divers in the white water adjacent to reef or rocky areas. Sometimes found under rocks and ledges, feeds on algae scraped off rocks along with other floating vegetable matter. Grows to 62 cm.

References: Kuiter, R. H., Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Published by Crawford House Press Pty. Ltd., 1993. p.213.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=girella+elevata. Accessed 27/05/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Girella-elevata.html. Accessed 27/05/18.