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This is one of the finest food fishes in Australian seas; so much so that deep sea anglers consider it fair to exchange a 900 g (2 pound) Pearl Perch for a 2.7 kg (6pound) Snapper. The short grained white flesh is delicately flavoured and so bland as to be almost un fishlike. with no suggestion of oiliness.
The Pearl Perch is line fished in the vicinity of sunken reefs, using baits of squid or fish, and is usually taken when fishing principally for Snapper. Its eyes are black, and are unusually large; in all probability this leads to enhanced night vision, for the best hauls of Pearl Perch are made shortly after dusk, and with the bait suspended some 6 to 9 m (20 to 30 feet) clear of the bottom.
This fish is taken only in the more southerly offshore waters of the State. It is a greenish silvery fish, speckled with golden brown; there is a small black spot at the base of the pectoral fin, and a pearly white "shoulder blade", often covered in a fragile black skin, protruding behind the head. The gape of the mouth is unusually wide.
The species grows to 660 mm (26 inches) and a weight of 3.6 kg (8 lb.) but is more usually, taken at 350-380 mm (14 15 inches).
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