Common Coral Trout

sex
One of the most fascinating things about Plectropomus leopardus is they can change sex! Almost all start life as females, while some later switch to being males usually the larger more dominant ones. They also gather for new moon spawning parties, sometimes in their hundreds, all synced perfectly with the moon’s phases.

food
Coral Trout are lightning-fast “ambush” predators. They lie in wait, and then use their explosive speed, quick reflexes and sharp binocular vision to snap up fish and crustaceans. As important mid-level predators, they help keep reef ecosystems balanced by controlling the numbers of smaller species.

colour
The colour tells you the depth the Trout came from. Fish caught in shallow water less than 10 metres often have a greenish tone. The deeper the colour the red, the deeper the water they were caught in. Colours can vary greatly as we fish a range of depths

sustainable, wild, hand line caught, brain-spiked & ice slurried
Fisherman Chris Bolton catches every fish one by one; it’s one line and one hook!
“My grandfather caught fish the same way, on the same reefs I fish today. You feel the fish bite and pull it straight in so the fish is in the boat within seconds. When I started concentrating on quality rather than quantity, most people, especially other fishermen, thought I was crazy. I just thought there has to be a more sustainable way.”

There is very little bycatch when targeting coral trout, less than 10%. Most bycatch are prized table fish, such as red emperor, spangled emperor, red throat emperor and various cod species. The very small amount of unwanted bycatch is always released alive and healthy.

sustainability practices

• Using solar power, we produce as much energy annually as we consume
• Regardless of catch, no single area is repeatedly fished again and again!
• Use an electric anchor which holds the boat in position via GPS, without the need for a metal anchor that can damage the delicate reef environment
• Use large hooks and heavy tackle to avoid catching juveniles
• Sightings of species of conservation interest are reported to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Fisheries
  Frequent communication with Queensland Fisheries and are voluntarily involved with fisheries research
• Spawning aggregations, where fish gather in high densities to reproduce, are avoided. This ensures fish grow into sexual maturity to reproduce and replenish the population.

reef guardian
As a Reef Guardian fisher, Chris takes voluntary actions beyond what is required by law and openly sharing information. Read more

keep it local
Coral trout are one of the most highly regarded table fish on the Great Barrier Reef, or anywhere in the world for that matter. In Queensland, a large percentage of commercially caught coral trout are shipped overseas alive, but not Chris Bolton’s. Every trout caught stays right here in Australia, ready for local plates.

overall process
Our line-caught reef fish are killed instantly and humanely using the ancient Japanese ike-jime method. Fish are then bled and immediately placed into a salt-ice brine to bring their temperature down to 2॰C (freshwater ruins the flavour of fish). Once this is achieved, every fish is gently hand-packed, one by one, into custom-made biodegradable boxes made from recycled cardboard.

quality & time
Fishing expeditions are very short from a 1 day trip to a maximum of 5 days. To put it in context, most other Coral Trout fishers do a minimum of 9 or 10 days, some up to 21 days. Those fish are often held in tanks for weeks without food before being shipped, which means natural fat content can be very low. Chris’s catch is either killed instantly upon capture, or held in live tanks for just a few days at most. When held live, they are ike-jimied at the wharf, straight to the packing shed, and arrive in Sydney within hours. This ensures the quality and high fat content for his Coral Trout.

ike jime
Ike jime or brain-spiking, is the most humane method to cause immediate brain death of a fish. Upon capture the fish is firmly held still, a thin, round stainless steel rod sharpened to a point is quickly inserted just above and behind the eye, directly into the brain of the fish. Because every species has a different shaped head, and different sized brain, it takes some practice to insert the spike in exactly the right spot. Read more

no cuts into the flesh/throat: cleaner, better flavour
In addition to ike jime, Chris snips the gills of the fish, further reducing the blood content of the flesh. The blood in the fish flesh retracts into the gut cavity, which results in cleaner, better flavoured flesh.

Although the fish is brain dead, the heart continues to beat for several minutes. Snipping the gills instantly after ike-jime allows the heart to pump as much blood as possible out of the flesh. When cuts are made into a fish they create entry points for bacteria, which reduces both eating quality and shelf life. Chris’s fish are all bled by snipping the gills with scissors so there are no cuts into the flesh.

WHY ike jime & bleeding?

minimising stress
Ike-jime minimised stress to the fish, which reduces the production of adrenaline. Higher levels of adrenaline give a slightly more bitter flavour and shorten the shelf life of all fish, regardless of how well they are handled.

lower lactic acid
Lactic acid levels are much lower in fish that are killed by ike-jime, giving the flesh a slightly less ‘fishy’ taste and softer feel as opposed to letting a fish die slowly.

flavour & texture profile

• mild & sweet flavour, subtle, clean and delicate
• no hint of ”fishy” flavour
• strong marine notes, faint sea aroma
• firm but tender texture
• dense flesh with scalloping, layered, flakey flesh
• moist
• silky mouthfeel
• versatile : sashimi, crudo, steamed, pan fried with skin to get a crispy texture due to the layer of fat beneath the skin with umami crunch, can be roasted, grilled
• excellent flesh yield of 50% versus many other prized table fish yielding only 35-40% such as John dory, Hapuku, Snapper

one-of-a-kind
Chris Bolton, the ever-modest pioneering and visionary fisher, is something of a legend in fishing, environmental and gastronomic circles. Together with his partner Kim, they have built their piece of paradise and a fishing business based in the world-heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland.

Chris Bolton Fishing has been celebrated for its uncompromising commitment to the reef, sustainability, quality and constant innovation to minimise environmental impacts and improving efficiency. The Boltons are true custodian fisherfolk and serve as role models of next-level fishing practice and care for Country.

Australia’s top chefs and seafoodies prize Chris Bolton Fishing’s produce for its quality, while his fishing techniques and knowledge attracts interest and research collaboration from the science community, fisheries managers and environmental groups. Chris Bolton Fishing is a multi award winning business most recently winning Producer of the Year in 2024 delicious Harvey Norman Produce Awards

fish fraud!
Believe it or not, more Chris Bolton Coral Trout is sold than is actually caught. Well-intentioned chefs receive what they believe are his fish and wonder why the quality is not up to Chris’s standards. That’s because it’s not always his fish! The Happy Fish process is intrinsic to eliminating Fish Fraud and ensuring verifiable sustainability, provenance and quality.

3 generations of fishing in the blood
“From the age of 5, all I wanted to do was to go fishing. I have spent more days on and in the Great Barrier Reef than I have on dry land! … Both my grandfathers were fishermen, my father and my uncles are fishermen and all catch fish in the same areas of the Great Barrier Reef and catchment that I fish today.”