Where is galjoen found

These foods typically inhabit rocky shorelines in the surf zone, so galjoen need to be able to swim in rough seas and be able to handle scrapes against rocks to thrive. Their small mouths, sharp incisors and thick, muscular lips help galjoen to lever their prey off of the rocks. The suggestion to make the galjoen the national fish of South Africa was first put forward by Margaret Smith , the wife of legendary South African ichthyologist J. Smith the scientist who confirmed the identity of the first-ever present-day coelacanth and father of generational maths guru William Smith.

Margaret Smith wanted to find the marine equivalent of the springbok - a uniquely South African animal that was as iconic as it was special. Although less famous than her husband, Margaret Smith was nonetheless a masterful academic in her own right, and hand-drew illustrations of hundreds of indigenous South African fish for inclusion in The Sea Fishes of Southern Africa , which has remained a well-respected text for over 60 years.

Because of this, we're pretty sure that Margaret knew what she was talking about when she put this proposal forward for acceptance as a South African national emblem - which some sources suggest was officially accepted in but we've yet to be able to confirm that date ourselves. Margaret and J. Smith also noted the galjoen, not just for its uniqueness, but also for its significance to South African history.

The galjoen was much more abundant in the coastal waters of the Cape in the s than today, and its shallow-water habits would have made it one of the first fish to be noticed by European settlers. Although indigenous, South Africans undoubtedly recognised the galjoen and other endemic species long before the arrival of Europeans, the cosmopolitan nature of the colonists would have allowed them to recognise the galjoen as a unique fish that occurred nowhere else in the world - possibly making it the first endemic South African marine species to be identified.

During the s, there were a number of naval wars between the Kingdom of England and the Dutch known as the Anglo-Dutch Wars where civilian galleons were converted into massive warships by both sides - propelling galleons into the public eye. The Cape Colony was founded right at the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, so early European settlers in the Cape would have had galleons on their minds when they started fishing the waters of the Cape.

When they first discovered the broad-sided coastal fishes in our shallow waters that could put up a serious fight, there was only one appropriate name they could think of - "galjoen".

Anglers along South Africa's eastern coasts also commonly refer to galjoen as "highwaters", a nod to their behaviour of entering very shallow coastal waters, and blackfish and black bream. In the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, a more common name for galjoen is "damba" which has a dual meaning: In Zulu, it means "playful", a possible reference to the fish's behaviour among the waves. There are actually two types of galjoen. Galjoen are abundant in winter and are most active during high tide.

This fish provides a great thrill for light-tackle enthusiasts as it is a powerful swimmer and a strong fighter. It poses no threat to humans and is very important to commercial fisheries. The galjoen is a game fighter. The diet of the galjoen consists mainly of red bait ascidians , small mussels and barnacles.

The scales are very firmly attached. The fins are well-developed with prominent spines. Click here to start your free trial! Click here to search for another word in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. In other parts of the country the Galjoen is also referred to as the Damba.

The record size is close to 80 cm and well over 7 kg, however the average size of this fish is between 40 and 60 cm. When measuring the Galjoen a Total Length measurement should be taken. The Galjoen is a strong fighter and is a popular target saltwater fish species for the rock and surf angler. The diet of the Galjoen consists mainly of red bait ascidians , small mussels and barnacles. The scales are very firmly attached and the fins are well developed with prominent spines.

Seven-nine vertical bars occur on each flank.