The term kingfish refers to many species of fish, including giant kingfish, barcheek kingfish, and white croakers. These fish can differ drastically in appearance and come from entirely different genera, but they are still commonly called kingfish. They can also be found in waters anywhere from Japan to Australia and weigh from 10 to more than 200 pounds (4.5 to 90 kg). Some of these fish fall victim to overfishing; for example, the yellowtail variety were overfished by Japanese fishing ships close to waters around the United States and Mexico. In general, however, none of these fish are in immediate danger of going extinct as of 2011.
Also known as giant trevally, giant kingfish are relatively large, often weighing more than 175 pounds (85 kg) and growing up to 5.5 feet (1.7 m) long. This fish lives in tropical waters, so it is commonly fished for around Hawaii of the United States and near Australia. Owing to its vast size, it has few to no predators in many of its habitats and is known to steal prey from other predators.
Barcheek kingfish are significantly smaller than the giant variety, weighing up to about a dozen pounds (6 kg) and growing to only 1.6 feet (0.5 m) long. This fish has a somewhat oval shape, and, like the giant travally, has gray to silvery scales. These fish are also tropical water fish, and they are capable of moving quite quickly to capture smaller fish for consumption.
The yellowtail kingfish, also known as the yellowtail amberjack, is a big fish that is often mistaken for some species of tuna. They are carnivorous and feed on other fish as well as other ocean animals. These fish can be found in many ocean waters surrounding North America, as well as Oceania. There is some concern that the yellowtail variety are becoming threatened by overfishing, but they are currently not on an endangered species list. Some people theorize that, because they are very active feeding around their spawning times, they are fairly easily spotted by enterprising fishers.
Another carnivorous fish that is often referred to as a kingfish is the white croaker, which is known to not only feed on other living ocean animals, but the dead. While the predominant color of these fish is white, fairly solid yellow and black markings are apparent across their tops as well as their rear fins. Some amateur fishers find these fish to be annoying because they are not very picky about bait and often bite on hooks intended for a different species of fish.