【Reading】かいわり

【English Name】Whitefin Trevally

The kaiwari (whitefin trevally, Carangoides equula), a saltwater fish of the family Carangidae (also written 貝割), ranges from the warm to tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific. In Japan it can be found along the coasts from Miyagi Prefecture southward on the Pacific side and from the Noto Peninsula southward on the Sea of Japan side.

Adults are typically about 20-30 cm in body length, with individuals growing close to 40 cm also reported. The outline is nearly rhomboid, and the tall, laterally compressed body shape characterizes the species. Dark-brown bands run along the second dorsal and anal fins, and the white edging at their tips is a distinguishing point from related species. Living on sandy-muddy bottoms from the shallows to depths around 200 m, it actively feeds on polychaetes and small crustaceans.

Its rating as a foodstuff is first-rate, with food connoisseurs favoring the way moderately firm flesh layers with the umami of fat. Its flavor is even said to rival that of the shimaaji (striped jack), and large individuals are prized as a rare fish commanding high prices. Long scarce in market volume and known as a fish hard to come by, in 2024 crossbreeding aquaculture with the maaji (Japanese horse mackerel) began in Japan, and efforts toward building a continuous supply system are advancing.