Silver javelin
Pomadasys argenteus
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Silvery-mauve with a dark brown snout, a purplish smudge over the top of the gill cover and clean yellow pelvic and anal fins. It works deeper estuary channels and holes, usually in small groups, and grunts audibly when handled.
how to recognise it
- a dark brown snout, and dark greyish to purplish on the upper part of the gill cover
- yellow pelvic and anal fins
- rows of small spots along the dorsal fin
- silvery-mauve to pale brown, silvery-white below, sometimes with dark greyish spots scattered on the back
don’t confuse with
- Barred javelin — the barred javelin gathers its spots into about twelve vertical BARS and has no dark snout
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 70 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- estuary
- size
- ~40 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
- 10 at 4 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 30cm · Limit: 10
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.