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Santer
The santer is an oval-shaped fish, with a silver-pink body and poorly defined vertical pink bands on its sides that are particularly indistinct on adults. Its pectoral fins are pale blue. This fish is a predator, hunting smaller fish, crustaceans and squid along the southern African East Coast to the Cape of Good Hope. Santers that are line-caught in South Africa are listed as Orange by WWF-SASSI, while those caught in Mozambique are Red. This species is best avoided while stocks recover.White kingfish
The white kingfish is a large fish with a silver-grey body that can take on a green tint on the fish’s upper side, and a yellow band that runs along its lateral line. Schools of white kingfish inhabit coastal waters across the Atlantic Ocean – from the United States and Spain to South Africa. It prefers to shoal over reefs, where it spawns during winter. Young white kingfish typically hunt small invertebrates and fish using suction (just like seahorses) The IUCN status of the white kingfish is Least Concern.Seventy-four
The seventy-four is a beautiful fish, with a pinkish head and belly, silver-yellow body and four to six iridescent blue stripes running horizontally across its sides. On each side, above its pectoral fin, is a conspicuous black spot. It is primarily a piscivore, feeding on smaller fish such as sardines and mullet, but will also eat squid and crustaceans if available. Juvenile seventy-fours feed exclusively on tiny invertebrates. Due to overfishing in the 1960s, the seventy-four now faces extinction in the wild. Thanks to a total ban on fishing, and proper management of its ecosystem, its numbers are slowly recovering. The seventy-four is Critically Endangered, the most severe rating on the IUCN Red List. It is also Red on the WWF-SASSI List.Brown burnie
Brown burnies are rather drab compared to other butterflyfish. Other than a dull yellow head they are almost entirely brown. Even their eye bar, characteristic of butterflyfish, is brown. They are solitary, but sometimes pair up for hunting when they pursue small invertebrates. The brown burnie is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and has a stable population.African penguin
African penguins are found only off the coastlines of South Africa and Namibia. South Africa has two land-based colonies, one in Boulders Beach and the other in Betty's Bay.
Pearly butterflyfish
Pearly butterflyfish have very distinct colouration - silver-white bodies, yellow hindquarters and black chevron stripes pointing towards their heads.They inhabit sea-facing reefs off the east coast of Southern Africa, where they hunt small invertebrates and scavenge scraps of seaweed.The IUCN status is Least Concern.Pyjama catshark
Some sharks are ahead of the trend when it comes to comfort—living in their pyjamas! Meet the pyjama catshark, a nocturnal creature that spends most of the day lounging in caves or crevices, catching some z's. And with those signature pyjama stripes; it’s no wonder they’re all about napping in style!
Red stumpnose
Red stumpnose are endemic off South Africa and occur from False Bay to Margate, although they are more common south of East London.
They have steep foreheads which, in males, become increasingly pronounced and bulbous as they get older. They have strong molars which they use to crush prey such as redbait, urchins, octopuses and crabs.
Although red stumpnose are good to eat, they have been over-exploited. Presently they may only be caught once they have reached a minimum size of 30cm and anglers may only catch one fish per person per day.
Red stumpnose are currently listed as a Red species on SASSI’s Customer Seafood List, which means you should not buy or sell these fish as seafood.
Photograph by Dagny Warmerdam.
Sand steenbras
These fish use camouflage to mimic the ripple patterns in the sand caused by currents and tides.
They feed mainly on bottom-dwelling animals e.g. cracker shrimps, sea lice and molluscs.
Roman
Romans are an endemic species found on rocky reefs off southern Africa at depths from 5m to 100m.
Like other sea breams, the roman has the ability to change sex, in this instance from female to male.
The male attracts a harem of females, with which he will mate. A large male is very aggressive and will defend his harem and territory against all intruders, including competitive males.
His frantic protective behaviour attracts the attention of predators, which increases his risk of being eaten.
Should this happen, the dominant female will immediately take over his role. Sex change takes a little longer.
Pencilled surgeon
There are 51 species of surgeon fish, 19 of which occur in southern African waters.
Surgeon fish are so named because of the scalpel-like spines on either side of their tail fins, which are folded into a groove when not in use.
When surgeons are threatened or alarmed, they lift their scalpel spines, using them to slash at their attackers! They also use the spines to wedge themselves into cracks in the reef.
The pencilled surgeon has a single fixed spine on each side of the base of its caudal fin, which is used in defense or when fighting.
Adults live in caves on reefs at depths of up to 100m, or in open water around sea mounts and islands.
The juveniles are found in estuaries where they graze on algae-covered rocks.
Devil firefish (common lionfish)
Devil firefish (Pterois miles) have beautiful reddish or brown stripes and delicate fins, making them interesting to watch and photograph. “Pterois” means “winged” and “miles” means soldier, so in English, their species name means “winged soldier”.