COMMON NAME
Butter Fish or Green Bone
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Odax pullus
LEGAL LENGTH & LIMIT
Legal Length is 35cm
Butter Fish are included as your combined daily bag limit of fin fish. There are different amounts allowed depending on where you are in New Zealnd
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· Auckland Central and Challenger are 20 per person
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· South East Area, Southland Area, and Fiorlans Area are 30 per person
SPEARFISHING ADVICE
The green bone or butterfish, is found around New Zealand, in shallow reef areas where there is abundant brown seaweed. Its length is between 30 and 75 cm, and they can weigh up to 5 kg. The name green bone comes from the color of their bones.
The green bone is a slender fish with a pointed snout. It changes its coloration as it grows, young fish being yellow-brown with a line of white dashes down each side from the snout.
Adult females are brown with a pale band down each side, and males are grey-brown with conspicuous blue patterning on the head, flanks, and fins giving the fish an overall blue-grey appearance. Green bones are larger and more abundant in the south of New Zealand. They are excellent eating fish, giving rise to their second common name butterfish.
To hunt these fish you need to look into the weed and use the light to sight the fish. Most often you will find more than one fish in an area. A great fish to practice your skills on.
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