Close Encounters with a Large Fish @ Semakau 07Feb2009

Close Encounters with a Large Fish @ Semakau 07Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Was alerted to this large fish (measured at 90cm by the Site 1 Seagrassers) caught in the shallows by the Team Seagrassers at Site 1 on Semakau. It must have been caught in the shallows because of a 200m long net stretching across most of the seagrass lagoon. It was gasping for air when I got to it. Careful about the sharp protusions just beyond the tail section, I used a plastic bag floating nearby to grab hold of the tail and lifted the fish cautiously. It was too weak to splash about and I lifted it clear of the water looking for a deeper pool. The low tide had drained the whole seagrass area of most of the water and I had to carry the fish towards the Sargassum boundary close to the edge of the reef. Once in the water again, it took about a minute to swim upright before heading in the right direction...out to sea.

What kind of fish was it? The info learnt from the Leaf Monkey Fishy Workshop pointed to the direction that this was a fast swimming fish due to it's V tail and narrow horizontal profile. Probably one of the 'Jacks'.

Short Clip on the long long net which prevented the fish from heading out to sea.

200m+ long net from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Short Clip on tiny juvenile fish which got stuck on the long net.

(if the small fish get caught too...then where are the bigger fish going to come from in future?)

tiny juvenile fish stuck in long net @ semakau 07Feb2009 from BeachBum on Vimeo.