Common name: Yellowtail horse mackerel, Bung, Chow, Cowanyoung, Jack mackerel, Mcculloch’s yellowtail, Scad, Southern yellowtail scad, Yakka, Yellowtail, Yellowtail chow, Yellowtail mackerel, Yellowtail scad

Japanese name: ニュージーランドマアジ

Scientific name: Trachurus novaezelandiae Richardson, 1843

Nigiri sushi detail: Yellowtail horse mackerel Nigiri sushi

Characteristics:

Yellowtail horse mackerel is a jack in the family Carangidae found around Australia and New Zealand at depths to 500 m. Its length is up to 50 cm. There are three species of horse mackerel in New Zealand waters: Yellowtail horse mackerel, Greenback horse mackerel (Minammaaji), and Chilean jack mackerel. They are all very similar, so it is difficult to tell them apart at a glance.

The body profile of the yellowtail horse mackerel is a moderately compressed, oval shape body.  The coloration of the yellowtail horse mackerel is a bright olive‐green above, transitioning to a more golden green ventrally, before becoming silvery white on the underside of the fish.　 They are also characterized by a yellow tail fin.

Adult yellowtail horse mackerels are found in coastal waters and estuaries, showing a preference for waters less than 150 meters deep. They are frequently encountered on the bottom or in midwater but are only infrequently recorded near the surface, they occur in large schools.

This species can be sold fresh, smoked, canned, and frozen; and it can be cooked by frying, broiling, and baking. It is less fatty than the Japanese Horse mackerel (Maaji), making it suitable for frying or meuniere.