[2][3] Hipposcarus harid is found in the western Indian Ocean from the Red Sea south to the Mozambique Channel, including Madagascar, the Seychelles and east to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Chagos Islands.

[2] Hipposcarus harid is caught with nets and other artisanal gear, the catch is maistly marketed fresh.

[1] Each year in April these fish aggregate in a shallow lagoon in the Farasan Islands in the southern Red Sea.

The reason for this aggregation is unknown but the local people celebrate a festival, called Hareed, catching the fish for prizes.

[5] Evidence for the consumption and trade of this species, among other parrotfishes native to the Red Sea, goes back to at least the Byzantine period.