Redbait are found schooling in pelagic waters from the surface to 100 metres deep around upwellings where nutrient rich waters provide plankton on which they feed. Around Tasmania, they can be found associated with schooling pilchards and mackerel.
Usually caught as bait and then used to target fish such as tuna, shark and barracouta. Redbait are an important species in the marine food chain providing a food source for many of the ocean’s predatory fish.
Redbait are small fish, however they can be smoked or skewered whole and chargrilled over an open fire.