Thyrsites atun (Euphrasén, 1791), known as the snoek in South Africa and as the barracouta in Australasia, is a long, thin species of snake mackerel found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere, and a popular food fish in South Africa, particularly along the west and southwest coast.

[citation needed] In the South African population 50% sexual maturity occurs at 3 years at a fork length of about 73 cm (29 in).

[4] Spawning occurs during winter and spring, (May to November with a peak from June to October) along the continental shelf break of the western Agulhas bank and the South African west coast, at a depth of between 150 and 400 m (490 and 1,310 ft).

When they reach about 8 mm long, they start eating the larvae of other fishes, which are most abundant during spring and summer in this region.

[4] The main prey species of the South African population are the Clupeoid fishes sardines, Sardinops sagax and anchovies, Engraulis japonicus, on which it is a major predator in the southern Benguela ecosystem.

[4] Juveniles smaller than 24 cm (9 in) mostly feed on lanternfish (Lampanyctodes hectoris), euphausids (Euphausia lucens), and amphipods (Themisto gaudichaudii).

Offshore, snoek eat almost exclusively teleosts of both pelagic and demerssal species, including sardines, roundherring and hake (Merluccius spp).

A large number of other species, including a range of invertebrates, have been identified as less frequent prey from analysis of stomach contents.

[6] Although it is distributed circumglobally, Thyrsites atun lives in coastal waters, and regional populations may consist of discrete stocks.

[6] T. atun is found near continental shelves or around oceanic islands, and feeds on small fish like anchovy and pilchard, crustaceans, cephalopods and other invertebrates.

[3] In South Africa it was originally called the "zeesnoek" (sea snoek) by Dutch colonists who arrived in the Cape in 1652.

[4] The fish was one of the most important traditional foods of Ngāi Tahu, the Māori people of the South Island of New Zealand.

This practice was adopted by early European settlers, who fashioned "coota sticks" from pieces of wood with bent nails attached.

[7] The meat was traditionally slow-cooked in a hāngī over several days, and could be preserved for years in bags of bull kelp sealed with fat.

This fish is then added to soups, stews and casseroles using indigenous and locally grown vegetables and often eaten with a variety of staples – potatoes, yams or rice.

Canned Snoek was imported in large quantities into Great Britain and government marketing of the product was not successful and may have had a negative effect.