The galjoen, black bream, or blackfish (''Dichistius capensis'') is a species of marine

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

found only along the coast of South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Galjoen is the national fish of South Africa.

Distribution and habitat

The galjoen is indigenous to the coasts of southern Africa from

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, and is generally found around

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave eros ...

at shallow depths around , often near the shore.

Description

This species can reach in

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

and a weight of . The body is compressed, and the fins are well developed, with prominent spines, 10 of them, with between 18 and 23 rays. The anal fin has three spines, and usually 13 or 14 rays, the pelvic fins have 1 spine and 5 rays, and the pectoral fins are typically shorter than the head. The body, fins, and head, with the except of the front of the snout, are covered in scales. The lips are thick, with strong curved incisors at the front of the mouth, with smaller teeth behind the front incisors. Galjoen 2

Ecology

Diet

The species usually feeds on red and coraline seaweed and red bait, small

mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, whic ...

and

barnacle Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass (taxonomy), subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacean, Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar Nauplius (larva), nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebra ...

s found off rocky shores, and appear in particular to be a partial to the white mussels residing in the sandy beaches and inlets of the rocky outcrops along the southern coast.

Home area

In 2005, the movements of the species were extensively studied. Some 25,000 galjoen were tagged at four sites in reserves in South Africa and their overall movement was found to remain localised, with some 95% of fish studied seeming to frequent a particular area.

Conservation status

According to the South African Association for Marine Biological Research, the population of the galoen is depleted at less than 20% of its optimal size; the existing stock is maintained due to natural refuges and no-take MPAs. In the 2018 National Biodiversity Assessment by

SANBI SANBI may refer to different South African institutions: * South African National Biodiversity Institute - carrying out research and management of South Africa's biodiversity resources * South African National Bioinformatics Institute - carryi ...

, it is listed as Near Threatened. It is listed on the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative List as a red-listed fish that cannot be sold nor bought; only recreational anglers with a permit may catch a minimum size of 35 cm with a limit of 2 a day.

Importance to humans

Fishing

It is important to local

commercial fisheries Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often p ...

and is also popular as a

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...

As food

Due to their abundance in the shores off South Africa, galjoen is common in

South African cuisine South African cuisine reflects the diverse range of culinary traditions embodied by the various communities that inhabit the country. Among the indigenous peoples of South Africa, the Khoisan foraged over 300 species of edible food plants, suc ...

. A notable dish is the fish sprinkled with pepper and lemon — or alternatively with lemon, mayonnaise, and melted garlic butter — and served with fresh bread and apricot jam.

As the national fish of South Africa

Galjoen is the national fish of South Africa. The suggestion to make it the national fish came from Margaret Smith, the wife of ichthyologist

J. L. B. Smith James Leonard Brierley Smith (26 September 1897 – 8 January 1968) was a South African ichthyology, ichthyologist, organic chemist, and university professor. He was the first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought t ...

, to find a marine equivalent to the

springbok The springbok or springbuck (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first Species description, described by the Germa ...

Etymology

The scientific name of ''Coracinus capensis'' is a reference to its black colour when found in rocky areas, ''Coracinus'' meaning "raven" or "black coloured"; in sandy areas it gives off a silver-bronze colour.

References

{{Authority control Dichistiidae National symbols of South Africa Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Fish described in 1831