Banded Morwong

pinungana (Fish)
In palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian Aborigines, with thanks to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.

Cheilodactylus spectabilis (Banded Morwong)

Banded Morwong are currently targeted almost exclusively for the live fish market with large mesh gillnets, primarily of 130–140 mm stretched mesh. The fishery is centred mainly along the east coast of Tasmania, between St. Helens in the north and the Tasman Peninsula in the south, with the largest catches traditionally coming from around Bicheno. Smaller catches have been taken along the south coast and around Flinders Island. While Banded Morwong inhabit depths down to at least 50 m (May and Maxwell 1986), fishing operations are conducted over inshore reefs, with gear set primarily in the 5–20 m depth range, in order to minimise effects of barotrauma and maximise survival for the live fish trade.

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