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A self made hand drwn and coloured picture of the shrimp scad, Alepes Djedaba . Based on Carpenter et al 2002 and Fishbase photos.

Shrimp scad

Tropical jack with a yellow tail found on reefs.

Photo: Kare, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The shrimp scad is a tropical marine fish in the jack family. It lives in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean, growing to 40 cm. Fishers catch it for food, especially in Asia, where it forms large schools near reefs.

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  • Grows to a maximum length of 40 cm
  • Has a striking yellow caudal fin when fresh
  • Entered the Mediterranean Sea in 1927
  • Forms large schools on inshore reefs
  • Diet shifts from crustaceans to fish as it ages

What it is

This fish belongs to the jack family and has the typical oblong, compressed shape of a scad. Its body is silver with a green-blue back and white belly. A dark blotch sits on the gill cover edge, marked by a small white spot. The tail fin is often bright yellow, especially when fresh. Two separate dorsal fins sit on its back, and the lateral line curves sharply before straightening into scutes. It grows up to 40 cm but is usually seen at half that size.

Where it lives

Its range covers the tropical western Indian Ocean and eastern Pacific. You can find it from South Africa and the Red Sea east to Hawaii. Northern limits reach Japan, while Australia marks the southern boundary. It entered the Mediterranean Sea in 1927, spreading to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and the Aegean. Records also exist for the Marmara Sea. It prefers inshore reefs and sandy areas, sometimes entering estuaries or surf zones.

How it lives

The shrimp scad is an active midwater feeder that often swims in large schools. Its diet changes as it grows. Smaller individuals eat crustaceans like ostracods and amphipods. Larger fish prefer young fishes and decapods. In India, populations reside in Madras waters from September to May before migrating to spawn. Feeding activity drops during the breeding season. It may also adopt a pelagic lifestyle in offshore environments occasionally.

Breeding and life cycle

Sexual maturity occurs when the fish reaches about 17 cm in fork length. Spawning takes place in shallow coastal waters. During this period, the fish consumes less food, indicating reduced feeding activity. Specific details on egg count or larval development are not provided in the available records, but the migration pattern suggests a dedicated reproductive phase away from primary feeding grounds.

Shrimp scad
A drawing made by EveryFish from what this page says. It is a diagram, not a picture of the real fish.

Fish and people

Fishers value this species moderately across its range. In India, it makes up a large part of the carangid catch in purse seines but is rarely taken by trawls. Traditional stake traps also capture it. Along Asian and Indonesian coasts, it is more abundant and regarded as good eating. Anglers catch it on hook and line, though it is often considered too small for major commercial focus elsewhere. It serves as bycatch in many seine operations.

Hand drawn and coloured diagram of the shrimp scad, Alepes djedaba. Based on fishbase photograpsh by JE Randall.
Hand drawn and coloured diagram of the shrimp scad, Alepes djedaba. Based on fishbase photograpsh by JE Randall.. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Kare Kare~commonswiki assumed (ba, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions people ask about Shrimp scad

Where does the shrimp scad live?

It inhabits tropical and subtropical waters in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Hawaii. It is also found in the Mediterranean Sea. The fish prefers inshore reefs, sandy patches, and sometimes estuaries or surf zones.

What does the shrimp scad eat?

It is a carnivore that feeds on crustaceans and small fish. Younger fish eat ostracods and amphipods, while larger individuals prefer young fishes and decapods. It is an active midwater feeder.

Is the shrimp scad good to eat?

Yes, particularly in Asian and Indonesian regions where it is considered a good eating fish. It is caught by subsistence fishers and in commercial purse seines, though often viewed as too small for major trade elsewhere.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shrimp scad", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryFish rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and figures change over time. Nothing here is investment or buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-11-15.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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