Black Bandit

Top fish is a female longfin perch, Caprodon longimanus. Female fish are commonly known as "pinkies".

The first fish is a crested weedfish, Cristiceps australis, very common in seagrass beds and rockpools. Colour highly variable.

Definitely in the damselfish family Pomacentridae. I would guess it is an immaculate damsel, Mecaenichthys immaculatus

Blue maori cod Epinephelus cyanopodus it is a member of the family Serranidae (gropers) Have seen a large one taken in Port Hacking

Yellowtail trumpeter Amniataba caudavittata Same family as the trumpeter we get around Sydney

Hi Roberta, Interesting looking fish. My best guess would be Butis butis a large species of gudgeon that inhabits fresh and brackish waters. I assume the specimen in the picture originates from an estuary on the central coast of NSW. Butis is more of a tropical/subtropical species which would make this find even more interesting (if my ID is correct). Send the pics to the Aust museum and they should be able to provide an accurate id for you. Cheers

The fish is a member of the Lethrinidae (family of fish that contains emporers). Common name - Lancer; Scientific name - Lethrinella nematacantha; recognised by having elongated second dorsal spine and a small dark blotch on body below lateral line and near the middle of the pectoral fin. Picture of fish can be found in Grant's Guide to Fishes

crimson-banded wrasse (juvenile)

Looks like a Deepwater seaperch Hypoplectrodes sp. Characteristics: Deep bodied with relatively large eye distinctive pink and brown bands on body Max length 45 cm See Hutchins & Swainston Sea Fishes of Southern Australia Fish No. 226

1. Half banded seaperch 2. kelpfish 3. wirrah 4. beardie Black bandit

I believe it is a ladder-finned pomfret Schuettea scalaripinnis. It is not in the bullseye family. It is in the family Monodactylidae which also contains the silver batfish Monodactylus argenteus Black bandit

Hi Leo, Thanks for the reply. I can understand your frustration when listening to extreme green arguments. the problem, as I see it, is that any extreme point of view is dangerous whether it be religious, green, anti-fishing or pro-fishing. The best solution lies somewhere in the middle and it is difficult to achieve this because persons promoting extreme views are highly motivated and dedicated to their cause. Those of us occuppying the middle ground just want to get on with it and go fishing. I can see no benefit in getting involved in the blame game - i.e. trying to say that comm fishing is the largest cause of damage and rec fishing has minimal damage. The reality is that for some species - the rec take is by far greater than the comm take. In NSW this is the case for species like dusky flathead, mulloway and bream. In contrast, the comm fishery takes the vast majority of species like sea mullet, orange roughy and many more. Having said all of that I believe habitat degradation is probably the largest cause of declines in our fish stocks - some of this degradation occurs directly as a result of fishing practices (comm and rec), but most is related to urbanisation and the fact that so many people live along the coast. Please consider these comments and let me know your point of view. regards Black bandit

Guys, Do you really think that around 1 Million people who fish in NSW waters at least once a year have no impact on fish stocks? There have to be impacts - even in situations that rarely encountered by an individual (e.g. an encounter with a protected species) The real issue is about being aware of these potential impacts and then moving towards minimising the impacts. Would like to get your views on this topic. Regards Black Bandit

Finin, It is not the slime on the skin that gives the bitter flavour. It is a thin layer of fat just underneath the skin that taints the flesh when cooked intact. If you take care when preparing the fish - i.e. ensure that you remove all of the fat layer below the skin - then the wirrah tastes great. The flesh has good texture and fine flavour. Clearly, the poor reputation of this fish is based on the ignorance of those persons that have not prepared the fish properly.

The government is closing the Fisheries Centre at Cronulla. The message this action sends is that they do not care for fisheries research or the sustainability of fish stocks in NSW. This reallocation of salmon stocks is just the start. Prepare yourselves to be boarded! Black bandit

Hi all, Fish 1 is a silver trevally Fish 2 is an adult Gunther's wrasse, Pseudolabrus guntheri Black Bandit rules

My guess would be a juvenile bellowsfish.

Hi The fish is a species of grinner but definitely not a painted grinner. The painted grinner is not as slender and has a lot more blue and yellow coloration on it. Probably a Saurida species (more common in tropical and sub-tropical areas). Cheers

The fish is a yellow banded seaperch (closely related to the half banded and black banded seaperches) Hypoplectrodes annulatus Yellow colouration is a feature of this species.

It looks like the introduced oriental goby Acanthogobius flavimanus. The species growws to about 30-35cm is very aggressive and has been recorded from Botany Bay and the Hawkesbury system. Supposedly introduce into Australia in the 1970's via ballast water.

Hi Simmo2, Definitely a cardinalfish. probably an eastern gobbleguts Vincentia novaehollandiae . This species has been recorded from Sydney. Cheers

A red bigeye. Quite common in the deeper parts of estuaries and in coastal waters. Aust Museum will probably have a piccy and the associated species name. Cheers

I believe it is a female herring cale. They are often caught when fishing for rock blackfish. Cheers

Sounds like a sea hare - a harmless mollusc that grows to about 30 cm. When annoyed (poked or stepped on) they release a cloud of purple dye. They are quite common in seagrass beds. Cheers

Definitely not a fish. It is an invertebrate - some type of sea pen. Cheers