Pikey bream
Acanthopagrus pacificus
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A small silvery-grey bream of northern estuaries with DUSKY pelvic and anal fins and unusually long pectorals. It sits around mangrove roots, rock bars and snags, and that fin colour is the whole difference from a yellowfin bream.
how to recognise it
- dusky dorsal, tail, anal and pelvic fins — not yellow ones
- very long pectoral fins
- silvery-grey, paler below
- a small bream: about 35 cm
don’t confuse with
- Yellowfin bream — the yellowfin bream has YELLOW pelvic and anal fins; that fin colour is the whole difference and it is reliable
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 35 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- estuary
- size
- ~28 cm, to 35 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (35 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 5 at 2 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: 25cm · Combined limit: 30 in total of pikey bream, tarwhine and yellowfin bream
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
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.