Hapuku - possible first record of this fish in SA

nicos

Senior Member
Hi guys,

Below snippets of an email I received from Geremy Cliff (of Sharksboard fame), with attached picture. Please read from the bottom up.

I see this as a challenge - come on KZN jiggers, lets find one!

Nico

[line]

From: Ross
Subject: Please identify this fish.

Yes, the fish were both similar size +- 40cm and +-4kg.
The first at 100m and the second at 230m depth.
 Brad caught a third fish on the deep mark, same size and weight.




[align=left]From: Phil Heemstra
Subject: RE: Please identify this fish.

Hey Bruce,

 This is very interesting.  It looks like the hapuku, Polyprion oxygeneios. This would be the first authentic record of this species for southern Africa.  It is similar to the Wreckfish . Polyprion americanus, which has a deeper body and more uniform coloration. P. oxygeneios is widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere and is common at Tristan da Cunha (Andrew et al. 1995) and I suspected it would turn up in South African waters.

Does the fisherman still have the specimen? It would be good to deposit the specimen in our fish collection as a voucher.  We need a tissue sample if the fish is still frozen.  Does the fisherman have a weight and length for this fish?

 Best regards, --Phil

From: Bruce Mann
Subject: FW: Please identify this fish.
Hi Phil,

Please can you confirm identification of the fish in the attached picture as Polyprion americanus, both Sean and I think it is.

Cheers

Bruce
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[align=left]From: geremy cliff
Sent: 26 November 2009 09:27 AM
Subject: FW: Please identify this fish.

Hi Sean and Bruce

Please help. First impressions here were of a freshwater bass.

It looks like the fin count is DX1,11+, A3,9. Both angler and Kevin Cox suggested wreckfish. I presume they mean Polyprion americanus, which, according to Heemstra and Heemstra does occur in KZN. The fin counts do match.

 Thanks
 Geremy

From: Ross
Subject: Please identify this fish.

Hi Jeremy, please identify this fish. It was caught deep off Durban in late October I caught two of them, on two diferent reefs. By the feel of the sinkers it was extremely cold below.

Many thanks
Ross 

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Nepptune

Sealiner
Holy SMokes!!!

Hapuka in SA?!?!!?? Frikken awesome!!! Another Jiggable species to target!!!

AMazing, be great to hear Jimi or Chris comment on this... looks like a Hapuka to me, but I've only ever seen viddeo and pics of them....

Brilliant!@
 

nicos

Senior Member
Exciting hey? And the grow up to 100kg! The one above is still a baby. My summer couta and dorado hunting is going to take a serious knock from this! Now I need to find some very, very deep reefs. We plan to run towards the marlin hole and see what structure we can find from 100m and deeper.
 

Noweeds

Sealiner
Last year saw wreckfish caught in the tuna grounds off CT....will try dig up a photo! Was feeding in the chumline!
 

Dorado75

Sealiner
Noweeds wrote:
Last year saw wreckfish caught in the tuna grounds off CT....will try dig up a photo! Was feeding in the chumline!
Thats crazy! How big were these fish? As far as i know these fish are a protected species??
 

marine69

Senior Member
We have had one once just chilling under the boat feeding on the chum line in the deep as well. Must have chilled there lank rustig for about 2 hours....
 

Nepptune

Sealiner
The guys in NZ have something they catch alongside Hapuka, which they call Bass, also known their as Wreakfish ( Not Wreckfish )

Here is a pic of ChrisW with a Wreakfish/Bass:
mcajqd.jpg


And here is a pic of ChrisW with a Hapuka:
207uaec.jpg


Any thoughts.... Weeds which one did your fellow look more like?
 

Noweeds

Sealiner
Geez boet now you are asking me....looked like a frikken black bass like in the photo at the top of the thread!
 

Nepptune

Sealiner
Some more 'Puka pics from NZ:
t8uj42.jpg


The familiar mug of Jimi the Fish with some monster Puka.
2yxja7o.jpg


In full Jimaldo regalia!
a0bdle.jpg


And another HUGE bass caught by Don, those of you with the Heavy Metal at Ranfurly DVD will recognise this fish:
w83x2d.jpg
 

marine69

Senior Member
Yeah nepps, the one i saw looked exactly like that hey.... sort of biggish eye with that top dorsal fin structure.

Our fish was also only about 2kgs max. We couldnt believe how it just sat under the boat hardly moving. We have a shoal of dorries and the odd yellow flying in a out and it was still just chilling and min gespin....
 

fedu

Sealiner
For what is worth fishbase says South Africa should have both, Hapuka & Bass (Polyprion oxygeneios & Polyprion americanus)

Hapuka

pic_Fis-22933.jpg


Bass

pic_Fis-22932.jpg




NZ should have, Bass Groper (Polyprion moeone), Hapuka (Polyprion oxygeneios) & Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus)

Really spoiled......
 
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