MARINE NATURE NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21148, 4 October 1930, Page 2

MARINE NATURE NOTES.

By David H, Graham, F.Z.S. (Biologist to the Marine Fisheries Investigation and Biological Station, Port Chalmers). "PIGFISH” {Scientifically called Congiopodus leucopaecilus). Although the “pigfish” is not classed as one of our commercial food fishes in New Zealand, it hat been and could be used as an edible fish more than it is at present. The fish itself attracts a good deal of attention, and affords much interest to. visitors to this station, at the same time giving me much pleasure in observing and noting its many characteristics, some of which are not to be found in other fish. Like several other fish, such as the " John Dory,” “ Silver Dory.” and " Boar fish,” it has the peculiar feature of being able to elongate ’its snout (though not so much as those mentioned), which can be pushed out and drawn back at will. i The name “ pigfish ” is given on account of its snout and general appearance of the head when looked at from the front; it has the same turned up and thickened snout that one sees on a small pig, looking as though it coul.d be used quite well for rooting, for which those quadrupeds are noted. It also, has the habit of making a grunting noise like a pig when left for a while out of water. It is erroneously called “leather jacket,” probably on account of its leathery skin, but this is misleading, as the proper or popular “leather jacket” is a small fish with a tougl I’ough, and leathery skin, and one single spine on its back, called Monacanthus scaber.

The meaning of its first scientific name (Congiopodus) is rather doubtful. Congio 1 don’t know: podue is from pous, which means foot, but am unable to see any connection with it to this fish. Leucopaecilus. is as follows:—Leuco means white; paecilus is from the word paecitu, which means changeable, or variegated, and is used in connection with the great variety of colours seen in these fish. The Maori name is Puramorua, but I do not know the reason; perhaps some fit my readers can tell me.

The colour of the fish presents a great range of variability. It is usually brown, but many are seen with yellow, black, pink, or white. These coloufs may be in blotches, spots, vertical, or longitudinal markings and bands, while one specimen I have in front of me now has a twocoloured design almost the same on each side of the fish, reminding one of the fr?nt of a small two-roomed house, with the usual two windows and a door, the Windows and door being light yellow, and the walls dark brown on a light pink background, giving the fish a most conspicuous and singular appearance. After these fish have been in captivity f°v a while the light colours turn to a dull white, at times a distinct white, and when the light markings are orranged along the body the fish presents a most uncommon appearance; other colours fade also to a lighter shade than when first caught. They resemble to a great extent the colours of the seaweed in which they have been living, bo much so that when I have been out collecting round the rocks on which seaweed is growing, I have often been actually looking at one of these Tisii in amongst a clump of weed and did not know it till the pigfish moved; this is called in biology “ protective colouration.” The 'spines on the back are strong and long for the size of the fish, they Degin at or near the "eyes and continue nearly to the tail; they can be erected or depressed, at the will of the fish, and once erected no amount of pressure will force thein down again. Of what use such long strong spines, are to the fish I have yet to learn.

These fish are to be found in abundance from one end of the Harbour to the other, and Mr Broadley states that some years ago they were more plentiful in the winter than the summer, but as a rule there is very little difference. They are caught inside the harbour from wharves, jetties, and rocks, with line and hook, but not in great numbers, as they have a very small mputh, and they prefer to take their food alive. Almost every seine net cast in the harbour catches at least a few, but the largest hauls arc made near the Heads on seine netting grounds; Mr Broadley states he has caught as many as 60 dozen in one seine net east, and that the largest hauls are taken in the daytime, as the tish keep nearer the surface after the dark. Large numbers are also caught outside the bar while trawling, becoming less numerous as one proceeds to deeper water, though they are caught in 50 fathoms, and again arc often found in the stomachs of red cod and groper caught in 80 fathoms. Their principal food consists of shellfish and Crustacea, and from my observations and examinations they apparently restrict themselves mainly to one distinct form of food at a time; for on one occasion while trawling outside the bar we caught 40 dozen of these fish, and, on examining the stomachs of a great number, they were found to be crammed with shells called ‘ Zetlmlia Zelandica,” and the operculums or lids of a. species of Calliostoma. The former species, were not broken at all, but were being. dissolved by the gastric or stomach juices, _as some shells were in perfect 1 condition, while others were in various stages of being resolved, while the Calliostomas had been completely dissolved leaving the operculums, which, being of a horny substance, cannot be destroyed by the action of the juices. Others have been caught which were feeding solely on crabs, while still others have been crammed with minute forms of some other forms of crustacea. Those caught in the harbour were found to be feeding on a small crab, Halicarcinus planatus, and other crustacea usually found on seaweed. I have often observed these fish in those localities where seaweed is growing wending their way in and out amongst the weed, stopping occasionally and lifting up the weed with their snouts and fossicking about amongst the branches, elongating and withdrawing their snouts as though they were sucking in food. Their thicKlipped snout capable of elongation is admirably suited for rooting about amongst sand or mud, and when lying down on rocks south of this station I have seen them pushing their snouts into crevices and turning over small stones as 1 though in search of food where other fish could not reach. They are an exceptionally quiet species of fish, for they took no apparent notice of me ip the abovementioned cases; in fact, I have waded out amongst seaweed and caught them with my hand, putting my hand straight down from above to below the fish and lifting it up, the fish not moving any faster or struggling to get away from me. Xhey also exhibit this extreme quietness or lack of fear in the tanks at the station, offering no objection to being taken out of the water, either by the body or the spines on the back, which action causes much amusement to visitors, especially to children; girls especially want it done again and again. When they are lifted out of the water their spines are usually erected and stiffened, aiid most boys maintain they can see a likeness in the row of spins to a North American Indian’s head ornaments. When large numbers of whale feed appear in the harbour a shoal of these fish causes-, a great dehl of noise by coming to the surface and snapping at the legs and tails of the whale feed, making a peculiar sucking noise; apparently the whale feed are too large for the pigfish to swallow. These fish grow to a length of about 12 inches and weigh about 21b, but there is a good deal of difference in the size of them, according to the locality, being larger in those parts where they are seldom disturbed or where no netting is carried on. Occasionally these fish can be induced to elongate their snout by touching them on its tip, and when they repeat this droll and amusing movement cause much merriment to visitors at the laboratory.

They arc very tenacious of life, living for several hours out of water without any apparent ill-effects. On several occasions while patrolling the beaches after storms Mr Broadley and I have found these fishes, not one, but dozens, stranded at high-water mark. In several instances the tide had gone out and was halfway in, yet several of these fish were still alive, and not only that, but were found to have had both eyes picked out by birds. On throwing them into the sea again they were actually able to swim, though not in a straight line or with any sense of direction, and would, of course, eventually die, but being out of water for at least nine hours, and their eyes picked out, shows how tenacious of life they must be.

A very silly and cruel habit was in evidence at one time amongst boys, who derived a fiendish delight at an ignorant pastime, which was the catching of these harmless fish and fastening corks to their long dorsal spines, then letting them go again, the corks keeping them afloat in an unnatural position, forcing them to swim along the surface of the water. <l«» bovs little thinking that they could

not sink to obtain food, and must eventually die of slow starvation.

These fish dp not look appetising for consumption, on account of their dark colour, shape, and tough skin, but when skinned and filleted the ficsh will be found firm and of good edible quality. To some it is slightly rich, but this can be obviated by the addition of macaroni, onions, and other vegetables when cooking, which then makes a delicious and palatable food. Many years ago these fish were sold to the public in large numbers, but only tor a short period when fish were exceptionally scarce. The fish were skinned, so that they looked quite different from the fish in its natural state. They were then railed to a country town and sold at eightpence per dozen, under the names of snap jacks" or “skip jacks" These were keenly bought up by the public, as almost every buyer came back for more, thus creating a demand, causing the seller to wire to fishermen for increased mimberg, but unless other fish were exceptionally ecarce and the fishermen idle for some time it did not pay them to skin such a small fish, a 9 to do so took a good many to make a day's wages. But this shows what an enterprising fisherman who was not afraid of work could do at times of bad weather and inaction, and keep the “home fires burning.” When dogfish are scarce these fish are used at this station to feed the other fish and specimens in the tanks, but owing to their •small size are not used any more than can be helped. The pigfish live well in captivity, being quite harmless and inoffensive, getting on well with all other species of fish, for the simple reason they are of a peaceful disposition, and are frequently seen to lie or remain alongside of other species of fish if allowed to. They have no objection to any kind of fish as food, even the flesh of their own kind not being amiss, but on account of their small mouth they need the food cut up into minute pieces or macerated, even then they do not bite at their food, but suck it up by suction. Owing to their sluggish nature and leathery skin those fish caught in weedy or muddy situations, even those kept in the large ponds at the station, carry a good deal of foreign substance in the way of slime or marine growth, very often harbouring great numbers of small forms of life, such ns worms and Crustacea, not parasitic in the correct term of the word, but what is called "symbiotic,” derived from a Greek word—symbioun—which means living together in mutual partnership. Looking up from underneath at these fish swimming in the tanka reminds one of aeroplanes, the _ stiff ventral - fins in front being the wings or planes,, while the equally stiff pectoral fins are the .stays from the front to the wings, and the tail of the fish is the tail, of the aeroplane. Some 25 or more years ago, when the Otago Harbour was more thickly populated by Maoris than it is to-day, it was nothing unusual for 20 or more Maori women and children to come down to where fishermen were seining for flat fish to get the pigfish from the fishermen, who as a rule were only too pleased to give them away, there being' no demand for such a fish on the D.uncdin market. At the same time the fishermen derived a, great deal of amusement from these in-' genious or artful women, <as the following proves. It was a common occurrence for these seine fishermen to catch . anything from 40 to 60 dozen of these pigfish with their usual haul of flat fish, and when all - these fish were at the “bag end " of the net they had enough to do to get the flounders out without bothering about the pigfish; consequently the taking of the jbigfish was usually left to the Maoris. The temptation was frequently too much for the Maori .(not that they were any worse than a white), and many a flounder found its way into the tnaorikits. When both parties had collected their fish, the fishermen for a joke would say to the Maoris, “got many pigfish to-, day E hoa? Let’s have a look, and on examining the kits a flounder here and there would be seen; but the Native women were not to be outdone, and would exclaim with great vehemence, "By gorry, mister, I never see him go in, he must have jump in when I not looking." An exceptional demand was caused for these fish by the Maoris when a “ huia" or “ tangi ” was about to be given or in progress. Thus these women would go to any discomfort to get free fish, for on several occasions the fishermen extracted more fun for themselves by hauling in the seine net and keeping the boat out in as deep water as could be conveniently worked by them in their thigh gumboots. Consequently the women had to. wade out into the water, getting a soaking oa well as the fish. The fish is restricted to the South Island and southern parts of the North Island. Mr W, J. Phillipps states that this fish is sold on the Christchurch fish, market as “ silver trumpeter,’ but there seems to be a certain amount, of difference of opinion as to this possibility. During June several female specimens were examined by me, and found to have welldeveloped ova, and on further investigation 50,000 eggs were estimated to be the average in each fish. . . Any information as to the use ot this fish as food or its habits will be appreciated by the writer, addressed to this station.