Lobotes pacificus
April 10, 2019
The tripletail is the tropical equivalent of the Atlantic wreckfish Polyprion americanus, although smaller. It is mainly found in floating bodies and typically FADs, which are very numerous in Indonesia (the famous rumpons).
It is very recognizable by its stocky shape, its olive brown coloring and its symmetrical and rounded anal and dorsal fins giving it its name, tripletail. It does not really look like the species conventionally encountered. Some distinguish (ex: IUSA) the Atlantic variety (Lobotes surinamensis) of the Pacific variety (Lobotes pacificus).
Shooting it is quite easy, and it is not uncommon to take several specimens on the same FAD. It can reach very decent sizes, more than 4-5 kilos…
The tripletail is excellent grilled or raw. A bonus of FAD dives.
