Butterfish (Odax Pullus)

Butterfish/Greenbone (Odax Pullus) are a premium fresh fish yet largely overlooked by most divers. Found only along the New Zealand coast, they are not often found at depths greater than 15 meters, making them a perfect species for novice spearos to start hunting. Butterfish hang out in kelp forests and can often be encountered while searching for crays and pāua.

Butterfish start life and mature as females, with brown to green colouring. As they grow older, they turn into males and become dark blue-black. The legal take size is 35cm in most areas, but be sure to double-check on the MPI website to avoid any mistakes.

These beautiful tasting fish range from 30 - 50cm, but bigger specimens up to 70cm have been found further south, in cooler water.

Butterfish are easily spooked! So, don't dive directly onto them or make big movements. A good tip is to swim into the kelp and hide for a bit until they start poking their heads out. Then, you can calmly select your target and engage, using our smaller Divetech 75cm and 90cm spearguns will get the job done.

With subtle tasting, white creamy fillets, and bones that are easy to remove, Butterfish are perfect for baking, steaming, or even making a decent beer batter with chips. Being a shallow, coastal species, Butterfish are a great table fish that don’t require too much planning and effort to find and serve up to the family. It's a great fish to practice your technique and keep everyone fed.