Every week we bring to you a #Sustainablefish of the week today we feature Zeus faber, or better known by its common name of John Dory. It is listed as Fully Fished by the Department of Primary Industries which means the current catches and fishing pressure are close to optimal.
John dory have highly compressed plate-like bodies with large heads and large mouths. They are silvery to olive-green, with a blue-black spot surrounded by a yellowish ring on each side of the body.
John Dory are coastal fish endemic to Australia, but are also found on the coasts of Africa, South East Asia, New Zealand, Australia, the coasts of Japan, and on the coasts of Europe.
They live up to 15 years close to the sea bed in coastal and continental shelf waters. They can be found to depths of 200 metres. John dory are considered to have a locally patchy distribution and use a variety of habitats including open sand, muddy grounds, rock structures and reefs.
Prey: Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and occasionally cephalopods.
Predators: Sharks, large bony fish and potentially marine mammals such as dolphins.
Reproduction: John dory reach reproductive maturity at 3‑5 years of age. They are known to spawn off the coast of New South Wales in late summer and autumn. John dory spawn multiple times during the spawning season. Fecundity has not been estimated, but is thought to increase with body size.