Pearl perch
Glaucosoma scapulare
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Silver and deep-bodied with a very large dark eye and a dark mark on the shoulder at the rear edge of the gill cover, which is the bone the name comes from — it shows pearly white once the skin over it is gone. It holds in small groups just off deeper reef and gravel in 40 to 100 m, so a diver meets it much less often than an angler does.
how to recognise it
- a dark blotch at the rear of the dorsal-fin base
- a small golden-brown spot on each scale making fine lines along the side
- a small dark spot on the inner base of the pectoral fin
- the bony shield at the top of the gill opening the name comes from
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-13. Our wording, their facts. Max size 70 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~38 cm, to 70 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (70 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 19 at 3 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 38cm · Limit: 4
source
· verified 2026-10-10
NSW — 30 cm · 5
source
· verified 2026-10-01
QLD s 35 — closed season 15 July to 15 August each year
where: snapper and pearl perch waters — tidal waters east of longitude 142º31'49'' east
Whether it applies where you dive depends on the spot — open that spot on the map and press “fish here”.
Fisheries Declaration 2019 · Reprint current from 25 September 2026 to date · read 2026-10-13
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.