Dusky kob (kabeljou) (Argyrosomus japonicus)

Photo by Greg Tasney on iNaturalist · CC BY-SA 4.0

FishActive now (October)

Dusky kob (kabeljou)

Argyrosomus japonicus

When
Active all year, though the way you fish or find it changes with the season.
Where it holds
Estuaries, river mouths and surf from False Bay to southern Mozambique. Young fish live in their home estuary; big adults move to the surf and nearshore water.
How to know it
A long, silvery-bronze drum with a coppery head, a big mouth, and in life a row of pale spots along the lateral line.
What to know
South Africa’s great estuary fish, best after dark — and in trouble: the breeding stock is down to a few percent of its unfished size. Cape estuaries fish best in summer; big adults move up the KwaZulu-Natal coast to spawn in winter and spring.
The tactic
Live mullet or a whole squid (chokka) after dark near the mouth; a soft-plastic paddletail worked along the channel.
Caution
From the shore and in estuaries east of Cape Agulhas the limit is one kob a day, at least 60 cm; boat rules differ. Release big breeding fish whenever you can.

Seasons, size limits and catch limits change every year and differ by water body. Check the current regulations for the country and the water before you fish.

Dusky kob (kabeljou) facts

Also called
Kob, kabeljou or ‘salmon’ in South Africa; mulloway or jewfish in Australia; Japanese meagre (its FAO and IGFA name).
Family
Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers — a cousin of the red drum.
Native range
The Indo-West Pacific: the African south-east coast from the Cape of Good Hope (False Bay) to southern Mozambique; Pakistan and north-west India; Korea, Japan and China; and southern Australia.
Habitat
Juveniles depend on estuaries, usually staying in their home estuary for the first three to five years. Adults live from the surf zone out to about 120 m (390 ft), and still come into estuaries and the surf.
Water temperature
Temperate to subtropical coastal water — from South Africa’s cool south coast to warm KwaZulu-Natal, roughly 14–25°C (57–77°F).
Size
Most adults 50–110 cm (20–43 in); the largest measured about 181 cm (71 in).
Record
IGFA all-tackle world record (as Japanese meagre): 66.75 kg (147 lb 2 oz), Ronnie Botha, Sundays River, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), South Africa, 22 November 1998.
Lifespan
Long-lived: the oldest aged was 42 years. It takes 5–7 years to mature, at about 90 cm.
What it eats
Mysid shrimp when small, then fish, squid and other cephalopods as it grows; a bottom feeder that also hunts through the water column.
Spawning
Adults from the Western and Eastern Cape migrate up to KwaZulu-Natal to spawn in winter and spring. The young recruit into estuaries along the coast.
Young fish
Juvenile kob are found only inshore and in estuaries; their tail is angular, becoming more rounded in big fish.
Teeth and mouth
A large mouth; no barbels. Lift big fish with support under the belly.
Look-alikes
Silver kob (Argyrosomus inodorus) looks almost identical; it is mainly a boat-caught fish of deeper water and the cooler west and south coasts, while estuary and surf kob east of Cape Agulhas are mostly dusky kob. Scientists separate them by the swim bladder and ear stones. Geelbek has a bright yellow mouth.
Eating
Excellent eating, but wild kob is on the WWF-SASSI red list — don’t buy it. Farmed kob from tanks and ponds is a green-list choice.
Status
Endangered on the IUCN Red List (2018). South Africa’s stock is rated overfished, at roughly 1–4.5% of its unfished level.

Try it

How big does a dusky kob get?

Slide it from an ordinary adult to the biggest one ever measured, next to things you know the size of.

80 cm · 31 inmost adults20406080100120140160180200cm122436486072ina 4-year-old, lying down · 100 cma canoe paddle · 150 cma grown-up, lying down · 170 cm

Most adults you'll catch: 50–110 cm (20–43 in).

This dusky kob (kabeljou): 80 cm. Longer than a loaf of bread, shorter than a four-year-old.

The record

IGFA all-tackle world record (as Japanese meagre): 66.75 kg (147 lb 2 oz), Ronnie Botha, Sundays River, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), South Africa, 22 November 1998.

Questions people ask about dusky kob

How big do dusky kob get?

Up to about 1.8–2 m (6 ft) and 75–80 kg (165–176 lb). The IGFA world record, listed as Japanese meagre, is 66.75 kg (147 lb 2 oz), from the Sundays River at Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) in 1998.

What is the bag limit for kob in South Africa?

From the shore and in estuaries east of Cape Agulhas: one kob a day, at least 60 cm. From a boat at sea between Cape Agulhas and the Umtamvuna River: five a day at 50 cm or more, but only one over 110 cm. West of Cape Agulhas: five at 50 cm. Check the current rules before you fish.

Are kob endangered?

Dusky kob is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, and South Africa’s breeding stock is down to a few percent of its unfished size. It lives to 42 years and takes 5–7 years to breed, so every big female released matters.

Is a dusky kob the same as a mulloway?

Yes — the same species, Argyrosomus japonicus. Australians call it mulloway or jewfish; South Africans call it kob or kabeljou; its FAO name is Japanese meagre.

Found in these regions

Checked against these sources ·

Sizes, records and ranges are for the species as a whole; local fish, and local rules, vary. Records change — the record-keeper named above has the current one.

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