This pelagic species occurs in coastal and oceanic waters to 300 m depth (May and Maxwell 1986, Collette 1995). It forms schools by size, and schools may include Jack Mackerels and Pacific Sardines. It is a plankton feeder, filtering copepods and other crustaceans, but adults also feed on small fishes and squids. The maximum fork length is 40 cm. In Australia, age at first maturity is 2 years and longevity is 8 years (Stevens et al. 1984). However, this species is larger and longer lived in New Zealand, where longevity has been estimated to be as high as 24 years (Morrison et al. 2001) and length at first maturity is 28 cm and approximately 3 years (Manning et al. 2007). In Japan, the age at first maturity is 1 year and longevity is approximately 6 years (Uozumi pers. comm. 2009). Generation length in Japan, is therefore estimated to be 2-“3 years, but may be higher in Australia and New Zealand.