Biology
| Species | Thyrsites atun |
| Common Name | Barracouta |
| Importance | Minor |
| Habitat | Open water and coastal bays |
| Depth | ≤ 550 m (Edgar, 2008; Kailola et al. 1993) |
| Distribution | Midwestern Australia to southern Qld, around Tas. Also widely distributed in temperate latitudes of southern hemisphere (Edgar, 2008) |
| Diet | Pelagic crustaceans, cephalopods, fishes (e.g. anchovy and jack mackerel) (Nakamura and Parin, 1993) |
| Stock Structure | At least 5 stocks: 3 in south eastern Australian waters, 1 in South Australia, 1 in Western Australia (Paul, 2000; Kailola et al. 1993) |
| Movement | Schooling fish; some stocks undertake annual migrations lasting 6 – 9 months and covering hundreds of km; moves through water column from surface to 200 m. |
| M (Natural Mortality) | 0.3 (Hurst et al. 2012) |
| Maximum Age (years) | 10 (potentially ≤ 15) (Hurst et al. 2012; Kailola et al. 1993) |
| Maximum Length (total length; cm) | 140 (Edgar, 2008) |
| Maximum Weight (g) | 6000 (Edgar, 2008) |
| Unsexed K (von Bertalanffy growth parameter) | 0.42 |
| Unsexed t0 (age (years) when length = 0) | -0.25 |
| Unsexed L∞ (asymptotic von Bertalanffy length (fork length; cm)) | 91 |
| Length (FL; fork length (cm)) – Weight (W; g) Relationship | W=0.1064 L^2.2385 (Nakamura and Parin, 1993; Grant et al. 1978; Blackburn, 1960) |
| Size at Maturity (fork length at sexual maturity (cm)) | 50-60 |
| Age at Maturity (age at sexual maturity (years)) | 2-3 (Hurst et al. 2012) |
| Spawning Season | October – March |
| Spawning Location | Tasmania (Kailola et al. 1993) |
| Early Life History | Little data available; eggs are pelagic and juveniles inhabit sheltered waters of southern bays and estuaries (Kailola et al. 1993; Hurst et al. 2012) |
| Gillnet Post Release Survival | Unknown |
